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DESCRIPTION 


LOUISIANA, 


By   father   LOUIS    HENNEPIN, 


RriCOLLECT   MISSIONARY. 


^Mijl 


TIIANSlAT».n    FKOM    THI    IPITION    OF    1683,  AND    COMrAlIP    WITH    Till    NOUVEI.I.I 
DicOUVtRTB,    THE    LA    lALLE    DOCUMENT!    AND    OTHER 
CONTEMPORANEOUa    rAPERB. 


By  JOHN  GILMARY  SHEA. 


I 

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V 

I 


NEW  YORK 

I  O   H  N    G.    S  H   F  A. 
1880. 


V 


/> 


\0BAJ 


CANADA. 


F  35*2. 


COI'YUIGHT    lS8o, 

BY 

JOHN    OII.MARY    SHF.A. 


Rt.   R.:v.   JOHN   IRELAND,   D.D., 


J.  FLETCHER  WILLIAMS, 

rKKSn.PNT  ANI.   SECRKTARV  OF  THE    MINNESOTA   HISTORICAL   SOCIF.TV, 
TMH  WORKDJE  TO  THEIR  FRIENDLY  COMPULSION  IS  NOW  DEDICATEI.. 


r 


I 


r 


. 


PREFACE. 


The  work  of  Father  Louis  Hennepin  here 
given  is  the  most  graphic  account  of  La  Salle's 
course  of  exploration  as  far  as  Illinois,  and  the 
only  detailed  narrative  of  Hennepin's  own  voyage 
up  the  Mississippi  to  the  Sioux  country  during 
which  he  visited  and  named  the  Falls  of  Saint 
Anthony. 

Doubts  thrown  upon  Hennepin  by  the  evident 
falsity  of  a  later  work  bearing  his  name,  have  led 
to  a  general  charge  of  falsehood  against  him.  In 
justice  to  him,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  are 
grounds  for  believing  that  his  notes  were  adapted 
by  an  unscrupulous  editor,  and  the  second  book 
altered  even  after  it  was  printed. 

His  original  work  h?re  given  in  full  for  the  first 
time  in  English,  is  supported  to  a  remarkable  degree 
by  all  contemporary  authorities,  by  topography 
and  Indian  life.  The  charge  made  by  Margry 
that  it  is  a  plagiarism  is  utterly  absurd. 


PREFACE. 


To  bring  together  in  English  matter  scattered 
in  various  volumes  bearing  on  the  questions  in 
regard  to  Hennepin,  I  have  added  the  account 
of  the  pretended  voyage  down  the  Mississippi  in 
the  Nouvelle  Decouverte  ;  an  account  of  Henne- 
pin's capture  from  the  Margry  documents ;  the 
account  given  by  La  Salle  in  his  letter  of  August 
22.  1682;  the  account  given  in  the  work  ascribed 
to  Tonty,  and  lastly  the  Report  of  Du  Lhut  to  the 
Marquis  de  Seignelay  of  his  visit  to  the  Sioux 
country  in  which  he  relieved  or  rescued  Hennepin. 

I  must  express  my  thanks  for  valuable  aid  re- 
ceived^ from    Mr.    H.   A.   Homes,    George    H. 
M  ore,  LL.D.,  and  Gen.  J.  Watts  de  Peyster. 
JOHN  GILMARY  SHEA. 

Elizabeth,  June  12,   1880. 


uf 


1 


CONTENTS 


kM 


Notice  on  Father  Louis  Hennepin, 

On  the  authentidty  of  Father  Hennepin's  work's,.'.".....'.  oj 

Hennepin's    Description   of  Louisiana ,' ." 

Dedication  to  Louis  XIV, '^^ 

Royal  Privilege, '^■^ 

La  Salle's  Earlier  Explorations, '"''  ^ 

Obtains  grant  of  Fort  Frontenac, 

Prepares  for  his  Western  Exploration, l^ 

Sends  men  to  Niagara, 

The  Great  Lakes  — The  Falls  of  Niagara........... 6q 

Begins  fort  and  builds  the  Griffin, „ 

La  Motte  and  Hennepin  visit  the  Senecas,... '.'..'.'.'.". ^f 

Loss  of  La  Salle's  bark, ^."^ 

Launching  of  the  Griffin, .'..'...'..'.'.'.. «^ 

She  sails  for  the  West, ^ 

At  Lake  St.  Clare, ...........'....,. ^° 

At  Missilimakinac .*....'.'.'.'...,'.'.' ^^ 

At  Green  Bay,.,.  97 

Sails  back, .'!!.'.".'.'!.'.'.'.'.'!!! '°* 

La  Salle  proceeds  in  canoes, j. 

Trouble  with  Outagamis, '...."......... ^ 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  Miamis,...        I!° 

Builds  a  fort, '^9 

Joined  by  Tonty, ".'."..*..,........ '"^^ 

Ascends  the  river, '^^ 

Makes  the  portage  to  the  Seignelay  (iili'no'is)','.'.*.'.."!! !^o 

Reaches  Illinois  village, ""  ^ 

Reaches  Illinois  camp, ^^l 

Begins  Fort  Crevecoeur  and  vessel,'.*.'.','.'.'.'.'.'.".* '^ 

Sets  out  to  learn  fate  of  the  Griffin, J^o 

Hennepin  and  Accault  set  out, ... 

'      •••  192 


m 


^^ 


8 


CONTENTS. 


Reich  the  Mississippi, 194 

Account  of  the  upper  Mississippi, 196 

Capture  by  Sioux, 205 

Reaches  and  names  Falls  of  St.  Antnony, 220 

Found  by  Du  Lhut, 253 

Return  by  way  of  the  Wisconsin, 256 

At  Michilimakinac, 259 

Returns  to  Quebec  and  France, 264. 

Latest  intelligence  of  La  Salle, 271 

The  Manners  of  the  Indians, 273 

Approbatory  of  the  "Description  of  Louisiana,"   pub- 

•    lished  on  the  "  Nouveau  Voyage,"  Utrecht,  1G98,...  340 

Account  of  a  voyage  down  the   Mississippi,  from  the 

Nouvelle  Decouverte, 343 

Account  of  Hennepin's  capture,  from  the  Margry  papers,  360 
Account  of  Hennepin's  canoe  exploration  in  La   Salle's 

Letter  of  August  22,  1682, 3^' 

Account   of  Hennepin's  expedition  in    the  work   pub- 
lished in  1697,  as  by  the  Chevalier  Tonty, 372 

Du    Lhut's    Report    to    Monseigneur   the   Marquis  de 

Seignelay, 374 

Description   of  Niagara  Falls,  from  the  Nouvelle  De- 
couverte,   377 

Bibliography  of  Hennepin, 3^^ 

Index, 393 


" 


NOTICE  OF 
FATHER  LOUIS  HENNEPIN, 

Recollect  Missionary. 


Father  Louis   Hennepin  was  the  first  popular 
writer  on  the  French  in  America.     Champlain, 
Lescarbot,    the   Jesuits   in    their    Relations    had 
written  indeed  but  their  works  found  no  currency 
beyond  France.     Hennepin's  works  caught  the 
general  fancy  and  were    translated   into  almost 
all  the  languages  of  Europe.     But  for  him  the 
story  of  La  Salle  would  scarcely  have  been  known 
even  in  France. 

Of  his  early  life  he  gives  us  little  information. 
He  was  born  at  Ath  in  Hainaut,  as  he  assures  us, 
although  Margry  on  the  faith  of  documents,  says 
that  he  was  really  born  at  Roy,  of  a  family  which 
came  from  Ath. 

While  still  pursuing  his  studies  he  felt  "  a  strong 

inclination  to  leave  the  world  and  to  live  in  the 
2 


U    :v 


10 


SKETCH  OF 


li 


|i' 


rule  of  pure  strict  virtue.  With  this  view,"  says 
he,  "  I  entered  the  order  of  Saint  Francis,  in  order 
to  spend  my  days  there  in  a  life  of  austerity.  I 
accordingly  took  the  habit  with  several  of  my 
fellow  students,,  whom  I  inspired  with  the  same 
design."  * 

He  made  his  novitiate  in  the  Recollect  Con- 
vent at  Bethune  in  the  province  of  Artois,  where 
his  Master  of  Novices  was  Father  Gabriel  de  la 
Ribourde,  a  man  eminent  alike  for  his  high  social 
position  and  for  a  most  exemplary  life  f  and  who 
was  destined  at  a  later  day  to  die  for  the 
faith,  while  laboring  as  a  missionary  in  America. 

"  As  I  advanced  in  age,"  says  he,  "an  inclination 
for  traveling  in  foreign  parts  strengthened  in  my 
heart.  One  of  my  sisters  who  was  married  at 
Ghent,  and  for  whom  I  entertained  a  very  strong 
affection,  used  every  argument  indeed,  to  divert 
me  from  this  project,  while  I  was  in  that  great 
city  to    which    I   had    gone    in    order  to   learn 

*  Nouvelle  Dccouverte,  p.  8. 
■\  Nouv.  Decouv.,  pp.  488-9. 


HENNEPIN.  ,  I 

Flemish.  But  I  was  urged  by  several  of  my 
Amsterdam  friends  to  go  to  the  East  Indies,  and 
my  natural  inclination  to  travel,  supporting  their 
entreaties,  shook  my  resolution  greatly,  and  I 
almost  resolved  to  embark  in  order  to  gratify  this 
desire."* 

"  All  my  sister's  remonstrances  could  not  divert 
me  from  my  first  design.     I  accordingly  set  out 
to  see  Italy  and   by  order  of  the  General  of  our 
order,  I  visited  the  finest  churches  and  the  most 
important  convents  of  our  order  in  that  country 
and   Germany,  in    which    I  began  to  satisfy  my 
natural  curiosity.  At  last  returning  to  our  Nether- 
lands,  the  Rev.  Father  William  Herinx,  a  Re- 
collect, who  died  not  long  since  Bishop  of  Ipres  f 
opposed   my    project   of  continuing  my  travels. 
He  placed  me  in  theconvent  of  Halles  in  Hainaut 
where  I  discharged  the  duty  of  a  preacher  for  a 
\fter  that  with  my  superior's  leave  I  went 


year 


lb. 


>  PP-  9>  10. 


t  He  was  bishop  from  Oct.   24,1677,  to  A 
Gams,  Series  Episcoporum. 


"g-  15,    1678, 


12 


SKETCH  OF 


to  Artois,  and  was  thence  sent  to   Calais,  during 

the  season  for  sahing  herrings." 

"  In  this  place  my  strongest  passion  was  to  list  jn 

to  the  stories  which  sea  captains  told  of  their  long 
voyages.     I  then  returned  to  our  convent  of  Biez 

by  Dunkirk  :  but  I  often  hid  behind  the  tavern 
doors,  while  the  sailors  were  talking  over  their 
cruises.  While  thus  endeavoring  to  hear  them 
the  tobacco  smoke  sickened  me  terribly ;  yet  I 
listened  eagerly  to  all  that  these  men  told  of  their 
adventures  at  sea,  of  the  dangers  they  had  en- 
countered, and  the  various  incidents  of  their 
voyages  in  foreign  parts.  I  would  have  passed 
whole  days  and  nights  without  eating  in  this 
occupation,  which  was  so  agreeable  to  me,  because 
I  always  learned  something  new  about  the  manners 
and  mode  of  life  of  foreign  nations,  and  touching 
the  beauty,  fertility  and  riches  of  the  countries 
where  these  men  had  been." 

"  I  accordingly  was  more  and  more  confirmed 
in  my  old  inclination.  With  the  view  of  grati- 
fying it  the  more,  I  went  as  a  missionary  to  most 


HENNEPIN. 


«3 


of  the  cities  of  Holland,  and  at  last  halted  at 
Maestricht,  where  I  remained  about  eight  months. 
There  I  administered  the  sacraments  to  more 
than  three  thousand  wounded.  While  there  en- 
gaged in  this  occupation,  I  was  several  times  in 
great  danger  among  these  sick  people.  I  was 
even  myself  taker  down  with  purples  and  dysen- 
tery, and  was  within  an  inch  of  the  grave.  But 
God  at  last  restored  me  my  former  health  by  the 
care  and  aid  of  a  very  able  Dutch  physician." 

"  The  following  year,  by  an  impulse  of  my  zeal 
I  again  devoted  myself  to  labor  for  the  salvation 
of  souls.     I   was   then   at  the   bloody   battle  of 
SenefF"  (Aug.    1 1,  1674),  "where  so  many  men 
perished  by  fire  and  steel.     There  I  had  abundant 
occupation  in  relieving  and  comforting  the  poor 
wounded  men.     And  at  last  after  enduring  great 
hardships  and  encountering  extreme   dangers  in 
sieges  of  cities,    in   trenches  and  on   the  field  of 
battle,   where  I  exposed   myself  greatly   for   the 
salvation    of    my    neighbor,    while    the   soldiers 
breathed  only  blood  and  carnage,  I  beheld  my- 


H 


SKKTt'H  or 


self  in   a  condition    to  satisfy   my   first   inclina- 
tions.'* 

Canada  had  become  for  a  second  time  a  field 
of  labor  for  the  Recollect  missionaries.  The 
Count  de  Frontenac,  Governo*-  General,  was 
especially  anxious  to  have  them  in  the  colony  as 
a  balance  to  the  Jesuits  and  the  Bishop,  who  with 
his  secular  clergy  held  very  strict  rules  of  morality, 
especially  on  the  point  of  selling  liquor  to  the 
Indiarjs. 

The  King  of  France,  Louis  XIV,  yielding  to 
the  appeal  of  the  Count  de  Frontenac,  wrote  to 
him  on  the  22d  of  April,  1675.  "I  have  sent 
five  Recollect  religious  to  Canada  to  reinforce 
the  community  of  these  religious  already  estab- 
lished there."! 

Father  Hennepin  was  one  of  those  selected.  "  I 
then  received  orders,"  he  continues,  "  from  my 
superiors  to  proceed  to  Rochelle  in  order  to  em- 
bark as  a  missionary  for  Canada.      For  two  months 

*  Nouv,  D6couv.  pp.  10-12. 
t  Margry  i,  p.  251, 


HRNNF.PIN. 


15 


I  discharged  the  duties  of  parish  priest  two  leagues 
from  that  city,  because  I  had  been  requested  to 
do  so  by  the  pastor  of  the  place  who  was  absent," 
"  At  last,"  proceeds  Father  Hennepin,  "  I 
abandoned  myself  entirely  to  Providence  and 
undertook  this  great  sea  voyage  of  twelve  or  thir- 
teen hundred  leagues,  the  greatest  and  perhaps 
the  longest  that  is  made  on  the  ocean." 

"  I  accordingly  embarked  with  Messire  Francis 
de  Laval,  just  then  created  Bishop  of  Petrse  a  in 
part  thus  injidelium  and  subsequently  made  Bishop 
of  Quebec  the  Capital  of  Canada."*  Another 
distinguished  personage  who  made  the  voyage  in 
the  same  vessel  was  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  la 
Salle,  to  whom  Louis  XIV,  on  the  13th  of  May, 
^^7Sy  granted  Fort  Frontenac  and  whose  vanity 
he  gratified  with  a  patent  of  nobility. 

*  The  See  of  Quebec  was  erected  Oct.  i,  1674,  and  Mgr. 
Laval,  had  been  Bishop  of  Petraea  since  1658.  This  part  of 
the  Nouvelle  Decouverte  seems  suspicious  and  in  the  same 
paragraph  is  the  blunder  which  misled  Greenhow,  where  the 
text  says  that  Hennepin  was  a  missionary  in  Canada  while 
Fenelon,  afterwards  archbishop  of  Cambray  resided  there.  It 
was  really  Fcnelon's  broti  ix.  Hennepin  himself  could  not 
have  made  these  errors. 


i6 


SKRTCH   OF 


The  name  of  the  vessel  is  not  given  nor  the 
date  of  sailing.* 

Hennepin  speaks  of  the  perils  of  the  voyage, 
engagements  in  the  Turkish  vessels  from  Tunis 
and  Algiers  which  did  all  they  could  to  capture 
his  vessel,  but  which  were  defeated.  He  saw  a 
combat  between  a  sword  fish  and  a  whale,  and 
was  filled  with  astonishment  when  he  beheld  the 
fishermen  of  many  different  countries  taking  cod 
off  Newfoundland. 

"  This  sight,"  he  adds,  "  gave  great  pleasure  to 
our  crew,  who  numbered  about  one  hundred,  to 
three-fourths  of  whom  I  administered  the  sacra- 
ments because  they  were  Catholics.  I  performed 
the  divine  office  every  calm  day,  and  we  then 
sang  the  Itinerary  in  French  set  to  music,  after 
we  had  sa'd  our  evening  prayers. "f 

*  The  Avis  au  Lecteur  p.  4,  says  that  Hennepin  came  over 
in  1676,  but  it  is  clear  that  he  came  in  1675,  as  Bishop  Laval 
whose  fellow  voyager  he  was,  reached  Quebec,  September  1675. 
Le  Clercq,  ii,  p.  121,  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Council 
of  Quebec,  Oct.  7,  1675.  Edits  et  Ordonnances  ii,  p.  64,  and 
they  must  have  sailed  after  May  19,  1675.  See  Edits  et  Ordon- 
nances, i  p.  81. 

f  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  15. 


HENNEPIN. 


17 


Besides  the  sailors  he  had  another  little  flock. 
This  was  a  number  of  girls  sent  over  to  settle  in 
Canada.  His  zeal  for  their  spiritual  good  led  to 
an  angry  passage  between  him  and  La  Salle. 

"  This  charge  one  day  obliged  me,  while  we 
were  at  sea,  to  censure  several  girls  who  were  on 
board  and  were  sent  to  Canada.  They  made  a 
great  noise  by  their  dancing  and  thus  prevented 
the  sailors  from  getting  their  rest  at  night ;  so 
that  I  was  obliged  to  reprimand  them  somewhat 
severely,  in  order  to  oblige  them  to  stop,  and  to 
observe  t^ue  modesty  and  tranquility." 

"This  afforded  the  Sieur  Robert  Cavelier  de  la 
Salle  an  occasion  of  anger  against  me,  which  he 
never  forgot.  He  made  a  show  of  wishing  to 
uphold  these  girls  in  their  amusement.  He 
could  not  refrain  from  telling  me  one  day 
somewhat  angrily,  that  I  acted  like  a  pedant  to- 
wards him  and  all  the  officers,  and  persons  of 
quality  who  were  on  the  vessel,  and  who  enjoyed 
seeing  these  girls  dance,  since  I  criticised  them 
for  trifles ;  but   Mgr  Francis  de  Laval,  created 


i 


I  8  SKF.TCH  0!< 

first  Bishop  of  Quebec,  who  made  the  voyage 
with  us,  having  given  me  the  direction  ot  these 
girls,  I  thought  I  had  a  right  to  reply  to  the  Sieur 
de  la  Salle,  that  I  had  never  been  a  pedant,  a  term 
which,  as  all  the  world  knows,  signifies  a  man 
of  a  foolish  and  impertinent  turn  of  mind,  and 
who  affects  to  display  on  all  occasions,  an  ill 
digested  learning.  I  added  moreover,  that  these 
girls  were  under  my  direction,  and  that  I  thus  had 
a  right  to  rebuke  them  and  censure  them  as  they 
took  on  themselves  too  much  liberty. 

"  This  answer  which  I  made  with  no  other 
view  than  to  show  the  said  Sieur  de  la  Salle  that 
I  was  doing  my  duty,  made  him  livid  with  anger, 
and  in  fact  he  raged  violently  against  me.  I 
contented  myself  with  telling  him,  seeing  him 
thus  disposed  towards  me,  that  he  took  things  ill, 
and  thcit  I  had  no  intention  of  ofi^ending  him,  as 
in  fact  it  was  not  my  design." 

"  Monsieur  de  Barrois,  who  had  formerly  been 
P'.icretary  to  the  French  ambassador  in  Turkey, 
and  who  at  this  time  filled  the  same  post  under 


■1 


■ 


HENNEPIN. 


^9 


the  Count  de  Fronrenac,  seeing  this  affair,  drew 
me  aside,  and  told  me  that  I  had  inadvertently 
put  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  in  a  great  passion,  when 
I  told  him  that  I  had  never  been  a  pedant,  be- 
cause he  had  plied  the  trade  for  ten  or  eleven 
years  while  he  was  among  the  Jesuits  and  that 
he  had  really  been  regent  or  teacher  of  a  class, 
among  these  religious." 

"I  replied  to  the  Sieur  de  Barrois  that  I  had 
said  this  very  innocently  ;  that  I  had  never  known 
that  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  had  lived  in  that  famous 
order;  that  had  I  been  aware  of  it,  I  should 
doubtless  have  avoided  uttering  that  word  pedant 
in  addressing  him  ;  that  I  knew  it  to  be  an  offen- 
sive term,  that,  in  fact,  men  generally  expressed 
by  it  an  "ill  polished  savant"  according  to  the 
French  expression  of  the  Gentlemen  of  Port 
Royal ;  that  thus  I  should  have  avoided  using  that 
term,  had  I  been  better  informed  than  I  was 
in  regard  to  the  life  of  the  said  Sieur  de  la  Salle.* 
*'Nouv.  Dec.     Avis  an  Lecteur. 


2C 


SKETCH    OF 


.'    y 


To  this  affair  Hennepin  attributes  a  life  long 
hostility  of  La  Salle  towards  him,  although  we 
see  no  traces  of  it'in  his  Relation  of  Louisiana. 

On  reaching  Canada  he  assures  us  that  Bishop 
Laval  "  considering  that  during  the  voyage  I  had 
displayed  great   zeal   in  my  sermons   and  in    my 
assiduity  in  performing  the  divine  office,  and  had 
moreover  prevented  several  women  and  girls,  who 
were  sent  over  with   us,  from    taking  too   much 
liberty  with  the  young  men  of  our  crew,  to  whose 
hostility  I  thus  frequently  exposed  myself, —  these 
reasons  and  several    others  obtained   for  me   the 
encomiums  and  good  will  of  this  illustrious  bish- 
op.    He  accordingly  obliged   me  to  preach  the 
Advent  and   Lent  in  the  cloister  of  the  Hospital 
Nuns  of  St.  Augustine,  in  Quebec."* 

"  However,  my  natural  inclination  was  not 
satisfied  with  all  this.  I  accordingly  often  went 
twenty  or  thirty  leagues  from  our  residence  to 
visit  the  country.     I  carried  on  my  back  a  little 

*  lb.,  p.  17,   Mother  Juchereau,  in  her    Histoire  de   I'Hotel 
Dicu  says  nothing  of  Hennepin  under  this  year. 


, 


■■« 


HENNEPIN. 


it 


chapel  service  and  walked  with  large  snow  shoes, 
but  for  which  I  should  often  have  fallen  into 
fearful  precipices  where  I  should  have  been  lost. 
Sometimes,  in  order  to  relieve  myself,  I  had  my 
little  equipage  drawn  by  a  large  dog  that  I  took 
along,  and  this  I  did  the  sooner  to  reach  Three 
Rivers,  Saint  Anne,  Cap  Tourmente,  Bourg 
Royal,  Pointe  de  Levi  and  the  Isle  of  St.  Laurent.* 
There  I  gathered  in  one  of  the  largest  cabins  of 
these  places  as  many  people  as  I  could.  Then  I 
admitted  them  to  confession  and  holy  communion. 
At  night  I  had  usually  only  a  cloak  to  cover  me. 
The  frost  often  penetrated  to  my  very  bones,  I 
was  obliged  to  light  my  fire  five  or  six  times 
during  the  night  for  fear  of  being  frozen  to  death  ; 
and  I  had  only  in  very  moderate  quantities,  the 
food  I  needed  to  live,  and  to  prevent  my  perish- 
ing with  hunger  on  the  way." 

"  During  the  summer  I  was  forced  to  travel  in 

*  Besides  the  places  here  enumerated  he  mentions  elsewhere 
"  Isle  Percee  where  I  lived  in  quality  of  a  missionary  a  whole 
summer  for  the  benefit  of  the  fishermen  who  came  there  every 
year  with  several  ships." 


m 


rr 


22  SKETCH  OP 

a  canoe  to  continue  my  mission,"  "  because  there 
are  no  practicable  roads  in  that  country."  *  "  I 
was  sent  as  it  were  to  try  me,  to  a  mission  more 
than  ahundredand  twenty  leagues  fromQuebec."f 

His  voyage  to  Fort  Frontenac  is  described  in 
the  following  pages ;  but  in  the  Nouvelle  De- 
couverte  he  says  : 

"I  made  several  different  voyages,  sometimes 
with  Canadian  settlers,  whom  we  had  drawn  to 
our  Fort  Catarokouy  to  live,  sometimes  with 
Indians  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  with. 
As  I  foresaw  that  they  would  excite  the  suspicion 
of  the  Iroquois  in  regard  to  ou.  discoveries,  I 
wished  to  see  the  Indians  of  their  five  Cantons. 
I  accordingly  went  among  them  with  one  of  our 
soldiers  from  said  fort,  making  a  journey  of  about 
seventy  leagues,  and  both  having  large  snowshoes 
on  our  feet,  on  account  of  the  snow  which  is 
abundant  in  that  country  during  winter.     I  had 


*  Nouv.  Dec,  pp.  17-19. 
t  lb.,  p.  13. 


HENNEPIN. 


^^ 


already  some  little  knowledge   of  the   Iroquois 

language."''' 

"  We  thus  passed  to  the  Honnehiouts  Iroquois 
and  to  the  Honnontagez,f  who  received  us  very 
well.  This  nation  is  the  most  warlike  of  all  the 
Iroquois." 

"  At  last  we  arrived  at  the  Ganniekez  or  Agniez.+ 
This  is  one  of  the  five  Iroquois  nations  situated  a 
good  day's  journey  from  the  neighborhood  of 
New  Netherland,  now  called  New  York." 

"We  remained  sometime  among  this  last 
nation  and  we  lodged  with  a  Jesuit  Father,  born 
in  Lyons,  in  order  to  ^'•anscribe  a  little  Iroquois 
dictionary.  The  weather  having  cleared  off,  we 
one  day  saw  three  Dutchmen  arrive  on  horseback, 
who  came  to  the  Iroquois  as  ambassadors  for  thJ 
beaver  trade.  They  had  gone  there  by  order  of 
Major    Andris."     ....  -  Theso  gentlemen    dis- 

*  pp.  25-6,  I  can  find  nothing  in  Canadian  documents  as  to 
his  labors. 

t  Oneidas  and  Onondagas. 
X  Mohawks. 


■^ 


H 


SKETCH  OF 


(i, 

I'; 
f 

h 

0 

\\ 

( 


mounted  from  their  horses  to  make  us  get  on  them 
and  take  us  with  them  to  New  Orange  in  order 
to  regale  me  there.  When  they  heard  me  speak 
Flemish  they  showed  me  much  friendship. 
They  then  assured  me  that  they  would  have  been 
glad  to  see  me  reside  among  them  for  the  spiritual 
consolation  of  several  Catholics  from  our  Low 
Countries,  who  were  in  their  settlements.  I  would 
have  done  so  willingly  since  they  requested  it, 
but  I  feared  to  give  umbrage  to  the  Jesuits,  who 
had  received  me  very  well,  and  moreover  I 
feared  I  might  injure  the  colony  of  Canada  in  its 
beaver  and  fur  trade  with  the  Indians,  whom  I 
knew.  We  accordingly  thanked  these  worthy 
Hollanders,  and  returned  to  our  ordinary  abode 
at  Catarokouy,  with  less  difficulty  than  in  going."* 

*  This  visit  to  the  Mohawks  and  encounter  with  the  Dutch 
was  in  April,  1677,  and  is  confirmed  by  N.  Y.  Col.  Doc,  iv, 
p.  689,  ix,  p.  720.  It  has  generally  been  inferred  from  the 
language  that  he  visited  Albany,  but  this  is  controverted  by 
Brodhead,  History  of  New  York  ii,  p.  307.  Historical  Maga- 
zine 10,  p.  268.  The  Jesuit  missionary  whom  he  visited  was 
Father  James  Bruyas,  and  he  copied  his  "  Racines  Agoieres," 


HENNEPIN. 


25 


From  Fort  Catarocouy  his  subsequent  journey- 
ings  are  given  in  the  following  pages  which 
describe  La  Salle's  expedition  to  Niagara,  Mich- 
ilimakinac,  Green  Bay,  the  Fort  of  the  Miamis, 
and  CreveccEur.  Then  after  La  Salle's  departure, 
his  own  expedit'jn  with  Ako  down  the  Illinois  to 
the  Mississippi  and  up  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
descending  then  to  the  Wisconsinj  thence  by  way 
of  Green  Bay  back  to  the  Saint  Lawrence,  and 
Quebec. 

Taking  passage  to  France  he  reached  that 
country  again  in  1681  or  1682.  He  wrote  the 
following  work  in  the  latter  year.  It  was  regis- 
tered September  10,  1682,  and  the  printing  com- 
pleted on  the  5th  of  January,  thereafter. 

During  this  time  he  was  apparently  at  the 
convent  at  St,  Germain-en-Laye.  After  this  he 
was  Vicar  and  Acting  Superior  of  the  Recollects 


"  Mohawk  Radical  Words,"  which  nearly  two  centuries  after 
I  also  copied  and  published  in  1863.  This  work  is  the  source 
of  Hennepin's  Iroquois,  and  an  example  in  one  of  Bruyas' 
works,  is  made  a  ground  of  accusation  against  the  Jesuits.  See 
Margry  i,  p.  321,  394 
3 


mif'^itJUic'wiim.viti 


'I 


26 


SKETCH  OF 


at  Chateau  Cambresis,  where  he  was  visited  by 
his  old  companion  Fatiier  Zenobius  Membre. 

He  was,  he  tells  ^  s  in  the  Nouvelle  Decouverte, 
Guardian  of  the  Recol  ects  at  Renti  in  Artois  for 
three  years,  and  during  that  time  almost  rebuilt 
the  convent,  but  having  declined  to  return  to  the 
American  mission  at  the  request  of  F.  Hyacinth 
le  Fevre,  Commissary  Provincial  of  the  Recollects 
of  Paris,  who  claimed  jurisdiction  as  Royal  Com- 
missary over  all  the  Recollects  in  the  Netherland 
provinces  captured  from  Spain,  that  Superior  be- 
came his  enemy.  He  prevented  F.  Hennepin 
from  accompanying  F.  Alexander  Voile,  pro- 
minister  of  the  Recollects  of  Artois  to  Rome  to 
attend  a  chapter  of  the  order,  and  then  ordered 
him  to  return  to  the  Recollect  convent  at  St. 
Omer.  This  was  followed  by  an  order  obtained 
from  Mr.  de  Louvois,  first  minister  of  State, 
ordering  Hennepin  to  leave  French  territory  and 
return  to  the  dominions  of  his  own  sovereign,  the 
King  of  Spain. 

Hennepin  appealed  to  King  Louis  XIV,  pre- 


i 


HP^NNEPIN. 


27 


senting  a  placet  to  him,  detailing  his  trials,  while 
the  king  was  encamped  at  the  chapel  of  Harle- 
mont.  Louis  XIV,  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the 
Grand  Provost  of  the  Court  and  it  was  lost  sight  of. 

After  this  Father  Hennepin  was,  he  tells  us. 
Confessor  of  the  Recollect  Nuns  (Penitents)  at 
Gosselies.  During  his  nearly  five  years'  stay  here, 
he  states  that  he  built  a  very  fine  church,  doubly 
vaulted,  a  very  convenient  parlor,  and  several 
other  edifices.  This  was  attested,  he  declares,  by 
a  certificate  of  the  nuns  and  by  their  letters  to  the 
General  Chapter. 

He  was  not  however  left  in  peace.  F.  Louis 
le  Fevre  wished  to  incorporate  him  in  the 
province  of  Flanders,  declaring  that  Gosselies 
was  in  French  territory.  This  he  denies  and 
affirms  that  he  was  there  by  virtue  of  a  lettre  de 
cachet  of  the  King  of  Spain. 

He  gained  the  friendship  of  Blaithwayt,  Sec- 
retary of  War  to  William  III  who  obtained  a 
safeguard  for  the  nuns,  which  saved  their  con- 
vent from  pillage  on  several  occasions. 


mmrmm 


28 


SKETCH   OF 


/ 


Blaithwayt  wrote  in  the  name  of  William  III, 
to  the  Father  Rennere  de  Payez,  Commissary 
General  of  the  Recollects  at  Louvain,  asking  him 
to  send  Hennepin  to  the  American  mission,  but 
as  there  was  no  immediate  response,  Hennepin 
solicited  the  blessing  of  Monsignor  Scarlati,  in- 
ternuncio at  Brussels,  and  receiving  it  at  Ath,  pro- 
ceeded to  Louvain  with  a  letter  from  Father 
Bonaventure  Pderius,  General  of  his  order  (Mar. 
31,  1696),  assuring  the  Father  that  the  Commis- 
sary would  do  all  that  was  fair. 

The  Commissary  wrote  to  the  Baron  de  Mal- 
quenech,  and  to  Mr.  de  Coxis  and  sent  Hennepin 
to  the  Recollect  Convent  at  Antwerp,  where  Mr. 
Hill,  envoy  extraordinary  of  his  Britannic  Maj- 
esty, furnished  him  money  to  purchase  the 
ordinary  clothing  of  gentlemen. 

Some  allude  to  this  as  though  Hennepin  aban- 
doned his  order,  but  he  seems  to  have  acted  with 
the  express  permission  of  his  superiors. 

He  then  set  out  for  Amsterdam  in  company 
with    a    Venetian   ship  captain,   but    they   were 


HENNEPIN. 


29 


Stopped  between  Antwerp  and  Mordick  by  six 
horsemen  who  robbed  them  of  all  their  money. 
By  the  help  of  some  friends  he  managed  how- 
ever to  reach  Loo,  and  the  Hague,  where  he 
was  very  well  received  by  Blaithwayt  and  had  an 
audience  with  William  III.  He  finally  reached 
Amsterdam  and  endeavored  to  obtain  a  publisher, 
but  the  volume,  that  was  to  prove  one  of  the  most 
popular  yet  issued  on  America,  did  not  seem  a  safe 
venture  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Earl  of 
Athlone,  Hennepin  journeyed  to  Utrecht.  There 
William  Broedelet  undertook  the  work,  and  it 
appeared  in  1697,  in  a  duodecimo  of  586  pages 
with  an  engraved  title  page,  in  which  as  though 
he  claimed  the  nobility  that  La  Salle  obtained 
for  all  his  men,  he  is  styled  Louis  de  Hennepin, 
although  on  the  printed  title  he  is  still  the  modest 
commoner  Louis  Hennepin. 

He  dedicates  the  work  to  William  III  in  terms 
of  flattery  as  extravagant  as  those  with  which  he 
placed  his  former  volume  under  the  protection  of 
LouiXIV. 


3c 


SKRTCH   OF 


i 


Willing  now  to  return  to  America  as  a  mission- 
ary, he  sought  the  support  of  William  III,  not  as 
the  ovcrthrower  of  the  Catholic  King  of  England, 
but  as  the  ally  of  Catholic  Spain  and  Catholic 
Bavaria,  and  the  protector  of  the  Spanish  Nether- 
land. 

After  publishing  a  third  book  at  Amsterdam, 
in  1698,  in  which  he  complains  of  the  hostility 
to  him  of  some  people  in  that  city,  he  apparently 
made  new  efforts  to  return  to  Canada,  a:,  a  dis- 
patch of  Louis  XIV,  to  the  Governor  of  the 
province  in  1699,  orders  that  officer  to  arrest 
Hennepin  and  send  him  back  to  Rochefort.* 

The  last  allusion  to  him  now  traced  is  in  a 
letter  of  J.  B.  Dubos  to  Thouinard,  written  at 
Rome,  March  i,  1701,  in  which  Father  Henne- 
pin is  said  to  have  been  then  at  the  convent  of 
Aracceli  in  Rome,  and  to  have  induced  Cardinal 
Spada,  whose  favor  he  enjoyed  to  found  a  new 
mission  in  the  Mississippi  country,  where  Father 
Hennepin  hoped  to  renew  his  earlier  labors.f 

*  N.  Y.  Col.  Doc,  ix,  p.  701. 

t  Brunet,  2  p.  539.     Historical  Magazine,  i  p.  316. 


;;.  s: 


HENNEPIN. 


31 


J.  B.  Foppens,  a  bibliographer  of  the  last 
century  in  his  Bibliotheca  Belgica,  Brussels,  1739 
(vol.  ii,  pp.  832-3)  says  that  Hennepin  wrote  also 
"  La  Morale  Pratique  du  Jansenisme  avec  un 
Appel  comme  d'  abus  au  Pope  Innocent  XII." 

Researches  in  Belgium,  Holland  and  Rome  have 
failed  to  throw  any  further  light  on  his  personal 
history.  The  annalists  of  his  order  have  gathered 
nothing,  and  the  local  histories  of  the  places  in 
which  he  passed  an  occasional  term  of  years  pre- 
serve no  details  as  to  him. 

My  own  efforts,  like  those  of  the  Hon.  Henry 
C.  Murphy  some  years  since,  have  been  fruitless. 
Hennepin     was    from     the    first     very    freely 
attacked,  and  in  our  day  scholars  have  impeached 
his  character  for  truth  with  very  little  ceremony. 
La  Salle  in  his  letter   of  August,  1682,  which 
gives  no  very  high  idea  of  his  own  veracity,  wish- 
ing to  forestal   any  representations  of  Hennepin 
that  would  make  him  a  prisoner  among  the  Sioux 
rescued   by  Du  Lhut,    when    he   wished  him   to 
appear  as  an  explorer  of  the  Sioux  country  before 


"ii 


32 


SKETCH   OF 


Du  Lhut,  says:  "It  is  necessary  to  know  him 
somewhat,  for  he  will  not  fail  to  exaggerate  every- 
thing ;  it  is  his  character ;"  '■^-  yet  La  Salle  else- 
where appeals  to  his  testimony, f  and  in  this  letter 
shows  a  disposition  to  sacrifice  Hennepin's  cha- 
racter to  further  his  own  interested  views. 

The  eminent  Sulpitian,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tronson, 
writing  to  the  Abbe  Belmont  at  Montreal, 
speaking  of  Father  Membre,  says,  in  1683  :  "I 
do  not  know  whether  men  will  believe  all  he 
says,  any  more  than  they  will  all  that  is  in  the 
printed  Relation  of  Father  Louis,  which  I  send 
you  that  you  may  make  your  reflections  on  it."  J 

The  Acta  Eruditorum,  Lcipsic,  1683,  pp.  374, 
etc.,  gives  a  long  summary  of  the  Description  de 
la  Louisiane^  and  raises  no  charge  against  it. 

Father  Le  Clercq  refers  to  Hennepin  and  his 
first  work  in  terms  of  praise  in  1691  ;    but  De  § 

*  lb.,  p.  230. 

tMargry  ii,  p.  259. 

X  Margry  ii,  p.  305. 

§  Etablissement  de  la  Foi,  ii,  pp.  114,  160,  161. 


HENNEPIN. 


33 


Michel,  the  editor  of  Joutel  in  1713,  says: 
"  Father  Hennepin,  a  Fleming,  of  the  same  order 
of  Recollects,  who  seems  io  know  the  country 
well,  and  who  took  part  in  great  discoveries  ; 
although  the  truth  of  his  Relations  is  very  much 
contested.  He  is  the  one  who  went  northward 
towards  the  source  of  the  Missicipi,  which  he 
called  Mechasipi,  and  who  printed  at  Paris  a  Re- 
lation of  the  countries  around  that  river  under  the 
name  of  Louisiana.  He  should  have  stopped  there 
and  not  gone  on,  as  he  did  in  Holland,  to  issue 
another  edition  much  enlarged,  and  perhaps  not 
so  true,  which  he  dedicated  to  William  HI, 
Prince  of  Orange,  then  king  of  Great  Britain,  a 
design  as  odd  as  it  was  ridiculous  in  a  religious, 
not  to  say  worse.  For  after  great  long  eulogies 
which  he  makes  in  his  dedication  of  this  Pro- 
testant prince,  he  begs  and  conjures  him  to  think 
of  these  vast  unknown  countries,  to  conquer  them, 
send  colonies  there  and  obtain  for  the  Indians,  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  of  his  worship 
and  to  cause  the  gospel  to  be  preached.     This 


as? 

1^ 


1 


3+ 


SKETCH   OF 


;     I 


f     I 


good  religious  whom    many  on    account    of  his 

extravagance,  falsely  believed  to  have  become  an 

apostate,  had  no  thought  otsuch  a  thing.     So  he 

scandalized  the  Catholics  and  set  the  Huguenots 
laughing.        P'or    would    these    enemies    of  the 

Roman  church  pay  Recollects  to  go  to  Canada 
to  preach  Popery  as  they  called  it?  Or  would 
they  carry  any  religion  but  their  own  ?  And 
Father  Hennepin,  can  he  in  that  case  offer  any 
excuse.    ^ 

Still  later  Father  Charlevoix  says  of  his  works  : 
"  All  these  works  are  written  in  a  declamatory 
style,  which  offends  by  its  turgidity  and  shocks  by 
the  liberties  which  the  author  takes  and  his  un- 
becoming invectives.  As  for  the  substance  of 
matters  Father  Hennepin  thought  he  might  take 
a  traveler's  license,  hence  he  is  much  decried  in 
Canada,  those  who  had  accompanied  him  having 
often  protested  that  he  was  anything  bur  veritable 
in  his  histories."  j- 

*  Journal  Historique,  p.  363. 

f  Histoire  de  la  Nouvellc  France,  i,  p.  liv. 


" 


I 


HENNEPIN. 


35 


In  our  own  time  and  country,  Sparks  showed 
how  the  Souvflle  Decouvcrte  was  made  up  from 
Le  Clercq,  and  Bancroft,  Parkman,  and  most 
of  our  historical  students  agree  in  impeach- 
ing his  veracity.  This  charge  rested  on  the 
Nouvelle  Decouverte,  while  the  Description  de  la 
Louisiane  was  as  generally  received  as  authentic. 

Thomassy,  in  his  Geologic  Pratique  de  la  Lou- 
isiane gave  a  narrative  of  the  voyage  down  the 
Mississippi  as  La  Salle's,  which  coincided  with 
that  given  by  Le  Clercq,  as  written  by  Father 
Zenobius  Membre.  Then  Margry  gives  a  narra- 
tive covering  the  whole  ground  of  Hennepin's 
first  book,  which  he  ascribes  to  La  Salle,  and  he 
says :  "  It  is  certain  that  Father  Hennepin  knew 
this  document,  from  which  he  made  many  ex- 
tracts, but  this  could  be  no  reason  for  our  not 
publishing  it,  first  because  the  author  of  the  Des- 
cription de  la  Ijouisiam  often  intermingles  error 
with   his    statements  =•=  and  also   because  he    left 

*  After  studying  the  work  carefully,  I  cannot  discover  the 
errors,  unless  the  misprint  of  peroquets  for  pirogues  justified  the 
charge.      But  Margry's  own  blunders  are  even  worse. 


J 


I-    (' 


36 


SKETCH    OF 


i 


.  I' 


Cavelier  de  la  Salle  about  twenty-two  months 
before  the  time  when  our  manuscript  closes. 
There  was  moreover  a  real  interest  in  verifying 
the  plagiarisms  of  the  man  who  was  subsequently 
to  attempt  to  deprive  the  discoverer  of  the  honor 
of  his  labors,"  etc."''  Subsequently  f  in  conse- 
qr.ence  of  a  misprint  in  Hennepin  of  perroquets 
for  pirogues  he  repeats  the  charge  of  plagiarism, 
though  as  he  himself  prints  Gamier  for  Gravier, 
Le  Noble  for  Zenobey  and  embuscade  for  amlass- 
ade  he  ought  not  to  be  too  severe. 

This  charge  that  the  Description  de  la  Louisiane 
was  copied  from  the  document  now  given  by 
Margry  has  been  taken  up  in  this  country  with- 
out sufficient  examination  :  but  it  is  really  too 
shallow  even  for  such  an  utterly  uncritical  mind 
as  Margry's  to  be  pardoned  for  putting  forth. 

This  Relation  des  Descouvertes  is  anonymous 
and  undated.  Margry  himself  asks  whether  it 
was  written  by  La  Salle  himself  or  "  only  by  a 

*  Margry  ii,  p.  435  n. 
t  p.  467.  n- 


HENNEPIN. 


37 


learned  ecclesiastic,  by  means  of  letters  addressed 
by  the  discoverer  to  some  one  of  his  friends  or 
associates."  Elsewhere  he  gives  his  opinion  that 
it  is  the  work  of  the  Abbe  Bernou  ;  but  as  he 
was  never  in  America,  he  could  only  be  a  com- 
piler, and  must  have  used  Hennepin's  work,  and 
it  is  necessary  only  to  read  a  letter  of  Bernou  in 
Margry  iii,  p.  74,  to  see  what  an  unscrupulous 
intriguer  Bernou  was.  If  wc  analyze  this 
Margry  document  we  find  it  forms  three  dis- 
tinct divisions,  ist  an  account  of  LaSalle's  ope- 
rations down  to  his  and  Hennepin's  departure 
from  Fort  Crevecceur  ;  2d  an  account  of  Hen- 
nepin's voyage  up  the  Mississippi  and  through 
the  Wisconsin  to  Green  Bay.  3d  an  account  of 
La  Salle's  return  to  Fort  Frontenac,  his  second 
visit  to  Illinois  and  his  operations  to  1681. 

Now  as  Hennepin  was  with  La  Salle  or  his 
party  during  the  first  period,  he  was  competent 
to  keep  a  journal  of  events,  that  might  be  written 
out  in  one  form  as  Ld  Salle's  official  report,  and 
in  another  as  the  missionary's  report  to  his  own 


38 


SKETCH  OF 


^i 


'5 
I 


m 


superiors.     As  to  the  second  part  Margry  asks  us 
to   accept    the   preposterous   idea    that   La   Salle 
possessed  by  some  supernatural  means  the  know- 
ledge of  all    that    Hennepin   saw   and   did   after 
leaving  him    at  Fort  CreveccEur,  that   La  Salle 
committed  this  knowledge  to  writing,  and  that 
Hennepin,  instead  of  describing  what  he  saw  and 
did  as  an  eye  witness,  stole  his  account  from  this 
wonderful  document  of  La  Salle.     La  Salle  him- 
self acknowledges    the    receipt   of  letters    from 
Hennepin  and  insists  on  the  reality  of  his  dis- 
covery ;  and  to  uphold  it  as  against  Du  Lhut  in- 
sists that   Hennepin   exaggerated   in  making  out 
that   he    was  a   prisoner.     As  La   Salle    himself 
admits  that  his  knowledge  of  this  part  came  from 
Hennepin,     he    has    already     refuted    Margry's 
absurd  idea  that  Hennepin  stole  this  from  him. 
As  to  the  third  part,    there  is  nothing  of  it  in 
Hennepin,  so  that    Margry's  charge   depends  en- 
tirely on    the   first   part ;  and  he   utterly  fails   to 
explain   how  Hennepin   refrained  from   any  pla- 
giarism of  the  third  part. 


ti 


■■I 


HENNEPIN. 


39 


The  reader  will  see  in  the  following  pages  that 
Margry's  document  in  the  first  part  agrees  pretty 
closely  with  Hennepin,  omitting  comparatively 
little,  while  it  abridges  the  second  part  greatly. 
The  whole  question  is  confined  therefore  to 
the  first  part,  and  as  to  that  there  is  a  simple  test. 
If  the  narrative  descri'  js  in  detail  events  that 
befel  the  party  while  La  Salle  was  absent  and 
alludes  briefiy  to  what  La  Salle  did,  the  narrative 
is  Hennepin's  ;  if  on  the  contrary  it  follows  La 
Salle's  actions  day  by  day  and  alludes  generally 
to  what  the  party  was  doing  in  his  absence,  it 
must  be  La  Salle's. 

Now  the  Margry  Relation  follows  the  party 
in  which  Hennepin  was  from  Fort  Frontenac 
to  Niagara,  gives  La  Motte's  visit  to  the  Senecas 
and  then  alludes  briefly  to  La  Salle's  having  been 
wrecked,  but  does  not  mention  the  fact  that  he 
had  previously  visited  the  Cenecas  and  effected 
what  La  Motte  had  failed  to  accomplish.  Every 
person  of  sense  will  admit  that  this  is  not  La 
Salle's  account  but  Hennepin's. 


40 


SKETCH  OF 


J 


?- 


I^i 


Later  on  La  Salle's  return  to  Fort  Frontenac, 
his  troubles  with  his  creditors,  his  visit  to  the 
colony  are  all  noticed  briefly,  while  the  affairs  on 
the  Niagara  are  detailed.  This  part  is  evidently 
not  La  Salle's. 

The  account  of  the  portage  leading  to  the 
Illinois  river,  where  La  Salle  was  separated  from 
his  party  is  not  his  personal  account,  but  of  one 
like  Hennepin  with  the  main  body. 

These  cases  and  minor  ones  all  tend  to  show 
that  it  is  not  La  Salle's  narrative  but  Hennepin's. 

La  Salle  apparently  took  the  Recollects  to 
chronicle  his  doings.  Hennepin  kept  a  journal; 
Membre  did  also,  as  Le  Clercq  assures  us ;  Joutel 
tells  us  that  he  seized  and  destroyed  memoirs  of 
Father  Maxime  le  Clercq."'  Why  La  Salle 
always  had  such  an  array  of  priests  with  him  is  a 
mystery.  If  from  first  to  last  he  was  led  by 
Penalosa's  curious  account  of  his  journey  to 
the  Mississippi  from  New  Mexico,  to  attempt 
the   conquest  of  some  of  the  rich   mines,  as  he 

*  Le  Clercq  ii,  p.  167.     Joutel  p.  148. 


Hi 


HENNEPIN 


41 


undoubtedly  was  aiming  at,  when  he  landed  in 
Texas,  we  can  understand  that  the  priests  would 
help  to  relieve  the  expedition  from  suspicion,  and 
prevent  harsh  measures  on  the  part  of  the  Spani- 
ards, as  the  priests  were  all  Spanish  subjects.* 

Otherwise  it  is  not  easy  to  understand  why, 
when  Frontenac  was  appealing  for  Recollects  to 
serve  in  the  colony  and  be  more  indulgent 
spiritual  guides  than  the  Jesuits  and  the  secular 
clergy,  he  should  send  five  off  to  accompany  an 
exploring  expedition  thousands  of  miles.  While 
Canada  was  suffering  for  want  of  priests.  La 
Salle's  grand  army  of  eleven  men  including  him- 
self and  his  valet,  sailed  from  Green  Bay  with 
three  Recollect  priests,  to  minister  to  their 
spiritual  wants. 

Every    view   of    the    question    confirms    the 
opinion  that  the  narrative  is  really  Hennepin's  ; 

*  The  charge  made  by  Hennepin  that  La  Salle  was  aiming 
at  the  Santa  Barbara  mines  was  long  put  down  as  a  falsehood 
and  a  slander  on  La  Salle.  Yet  now  with  the  official  docu- 
ments of  the  French  government,  the  papers  of  Beaujeu  and 
Dainmaville's  account,  it  is  evident  that  Hennepin  was  right. 
4 


+2 


* 


SKETCH   OF 


V'i 


and  that  ii.^  document  in  Margry  was  compiled 
from  it  by  an  unknown  hand. 

Only  one  question  remains,  and  that  is  whether 
Margry's  anonymous  compiler  plagiarized  from 
a  document  drawn  up  by  Hennepin  in  America, 
or  from  his  printed  work. 

Hennepin  publishing  his  book  at  Paris,  very 
naturally  mentions  the  (act  that  his  fellow  trave- 
ler Antoine  Auguelle,  known  by  the  soubriquet 
of  Le  Picard  du  Gay,  was  at  that  time  actually 
in  Paris,  appealing  as  it  were  to  his  testimony  in 
confirmation  of  his  statements.  Yet  in  the 
Margry  Relation  (i,  p.  478),  it  mentions  that 
the  Picard  "  is  at  present  in  Paris."  Now  how 
could  La  Salle  who  did  not  see  Hennepin  or 
Auguelle  after  their  return,  know  exactly  in 
what  part  of  France  Auguelle  was  ?  The  state- 
ment is  perfectly  irreconcileable  with  the  idea 
that  this  document  was  written  by  La  Salle  in 
America  ;  and  the  fact  that  it  appears  in  the 
Margry  Relation  seems  to  show  that  its  compiler 
used  Hennepin's  book  without  giving  credit,  and 


i 


. 


HENNEPIN 


43 


* 


used,  not  a  draft  or  copy  made  in  America,  but 
the    edition   printed   in    Paris  but    had   not  the 
honesty  to  cite   Hennepin  and  refer   to  him.     A 
careful   comparison  of  the  first  and  second   parts 
of  Margry's   Relation  with  Hennepin's  Descrip- 
tion  de  k  Louisiane,   1683,   will  satisfy   any   one 
that  the    vaunted  Margry   document  is  a   mere 
plagiarism  from   Hennepin's  first   work  as  far  as 
it  goes. 

Now  what  is  the  credit  to  be  given  to  Henne- 
pin's work  here  given  ?  It  will  not  do  to  assert 
that  it  is  not  trustworthy  and  say  that  Margry's 
Relation  is.     They  are  so  near  alike  that  if  one 
is  not  trustworthy,  the  other  is  not. 

In  the  following  pages  references  are  made  to 
documents  of  La  Salle,  Tonti  and  others  relating 
to  the  same  events,  in  not  a  single  case  is  Hen- 
nepin contradicted  or  shown  to  be  in  error.  Mr. 
Parkman  alluding  to  the  claims  set  up  in  the 
Nouvelle  Decouverte  says :  "  they  are  not  in  the 
early  editions  of  Hennepin  which  are  compara- 
tively truthful."     "Hennepin's   account  of  the 


!¥ 


1 


-■WWMB*  IJtlT.rW-^ 


+4-^ 


SKETCH   OF 


I    I 


I 

11 


falls  and  river  of  Niagara,  especially  his  second 
account  on  his  return  from  the  west,  is  very 
minute  and  on  the  whole  very  accurate."  "  His 
distances  on  the  Niagara  are  usually  correct," 
'Hennepin's  account  of  the  buffalo  is  interesting 
and  true."  "  Fortunately  there  are  tests  by  which 
the  earlier  parts  of  his  book  can  be  tried ;  and 
on  the  whole  they  square  exceedingly  well  with 
contemporary  records  of  undoubted  authenticity. 
Bating  his  exaggerations  respecting  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  his  local  descriptions,  and  even  his 
estimates  of  distance    are    generally  accurate."* 

"  As  for  his  ascent  of  that  river  (Mississippi)  to 
the  country  of  the  Sioux,  the  general  statement 
is  fully  confirmed  by  allusions  of  Tonty  and  other 
contemporary  writers.  For  the  details  of  the 
journey,  we  must  rest  on  Hennepin  alone ; 
whose  account  of  the  country  and  of  the  peculiar 
traits  of  its  Indians  afford,  as  far  as  they  go,  good 
evidence  of  truth." 

Such  is  the  testimony  of  Parkman  given   at 
various  points  of  his  work. 


nV 


*  Discovery  of  the  Great  West  p.  124,  126,  133,  155,  228. 


HENNEPIN 


45' 


Hennepin  is  certainly  the  first  who  gave  Da- 
kota words :  and  he  gives  them  accurately  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  reference  to  Riggs'  Dakota 
Dictionary.  Parkman  who  lived  for  some  weeks 
in  a  Sioux  lodge  says  that  a  variety  of  trivial  in- 
cidents mentioned  by  Hennepin  are  perfectly  in 
accordance  with  usage.  In  regard'to  Hennepin's 
Dakota  terms  he  says:  "These  words  as  far  as 
my  information  reaches,  are  in  every  instance 
correct."  Even  the  word  Louis,  which  Hennepin 
says  signifies  the  sun,  is  no  invention.  "  The 
Yankion  band  of  this  people,  however,  call  the 
sun  oouee"  which,  it  is  evident,  represents  the 
French  pronunciation  of  Louis,  omitting  the 
initial  letter.* 

The  only  charges  that  remain  are  that  he  was 
vain,  boastful  and  exaggerated. 

His  vanity  must  be  admitted.  Not  even 
superior  of  thelittle  band  of  missionaries,  he  makes 
himself  a  kind  of  joint  commander  with  La  Salle: 
and  his   vanity  leads  him  to  exaggerate  his  own 

*  lb.,  p.  228-9. 


46=^ 


SKETCH     OF 


I 

■I 


I 


u 


deeds.     But  except  ii.  the  estimate  of  the  height 

of  Niagara  Falls,  where  Tonty  is  equally  in  error, 

his  figures  are  accurate. 

The    Descriptio'i    de  la    Louisiane  is    valuable, 

though  we  must  bear  in  mind  the  real   position 

of  the  writer. 

His    next    book    the    '' Nouvelle   Dkouverte" 

contains  the  famous  addition  where  he  claims  to 

have  descended  to  the  mouth,  before  going  up  to 

the  Sioux  country. 

A  careful  examination   of  this  volume,  which 

is  in  the  following  pages  compared  closely  with 
the  Description  reveals  some  points  heretofore 
overlooked. 

The  book  was  not  published,  as  originally 
printed,  and  seems  to  have  been  set  up  in  two 
different  offices.  From  page  313  where  the 
account  of  his  voyage  up  to  the  Sioux  begins,  the 
chapters  have  arabic  numbers,  while  in  the  pre- 
vious part  of  the  book,  they  have  Roman  numerals : 
the  line  at  the  top  of  the  page  omits  a  letter  and 
an  accent,  and   the   type  generally  seems  more 


HENNEPIN. 


+7 


* 


worn  and  the  spacing  is  different.  Practical 
printers  and  bibliographers  alike  agree  that  the 
two  portions  have  every  appearance  of  being 
printed  in  different  offices. 

Before  this  point  there  are  ten  pages  all  num- 
bered 313''';  so  that  certainly  these  were  printed 
after  the  book  v  is  complete,  and  there  is  nothing 
to  show  but  what  much  more  was  printed  as  an 
afterthought. 

This  much  is  clear  regarding  the  Nouvelle  Z)/- 
couverte  merely  from  the  mechanical  pointof  view. 
Examining  the  matter,  we  find  that  the  book 
introduces  a  great  deal  of  personal  detail  and 
generally  expands  the  narrative,  but  it  substan- 
tially follows  the  Description  de  la  Louisiane  down 
top.  216.  Then  with  no  apparent  reason  six 
pages  are  taken  from  La  Clercq's  Etablissement 
de  la  Foi  (ii,  pp.  173-181),  when  Hennepin  him- 
self could  have  given  a  better  account.  It  then 
follows  his  first  work  to  p.  247-8,  where  the  pre- 
tended voyage  down  is  introduced  and  the  voyage 
described  in  terms   taken  from  Le   Clercq  (ii,  p. 


'\  : 


■""vmuesti^ 


48 


* 


SKETCH    OF 


I 


2 1 6).  This  matter  continues  to  the  last  of  the 
pages  marked  3 1  3'",  and  may  all  have  been  printed 
after  the  book  had  actually  been  completed  in  its 
original  form.  On  Its  very  face  Hennepin  can 
scarcely  be  held  absolutely  responsible  for  a  book 
thus  tampered  with. 

Hennepin  had  been  on  the  Mississippi  and  had 
heard  reports  of  the  lower  river  from  the  Indians, 
he  might  easily  have  drawn  up  a  plausible  account 
of  a  voyage  down  ;  he  would  have  had  no  reason 
to  take  Membre's  account  and  garble  it.  There 
are,  moreover,  actual  errors  in  the  book  that 
Hennepin  would  not  have  made.  He  knew  the 
country  too  well  to  make  a  nation  Ouadebache, 
to  give  name  to  the  river ;  he  would  not  have 
made  "sasac»„uest,"  the  Algonquin  word  for  war- 
cry  which  the  French  had  adopted,  pass  muster 
as  a  Chickasaw  word  meaning :  "  Who  goes 
there  ?"  Hennepin  might  like  La  Salle  dispute 
Jolliet's  priority,  but  he  would  scarcely  make 
JoUiet  disavow  having  sailed  down  the  Mississppi. 


HENEPIN. 


49 


* 


The  place  where  he  refers  to  his  girdle  as  being 
worn  as  a  cord  of  St.  Francis  would  scarcely  be 
written  by  a  Franciscan. 

This  intrusive  matter  cannot  therefore  abso- 
lutely be  ascribed  to  Hennepin,  and  he  be  called 
a  liar  because  it  is  false. 

Hennepin  was  disappointed  in  finding  a  pub- 
lisher at  Amsterdam,  and  at  Utrecht  may  have 
been  required  by  Broedelet  to  put  his  book 
with  the  additional  matter  into  the  hands  of  some 
literary  hack  to  edit.  The  whole  book  has  been 
re-written  and  there  are  traces  of  another 
hand  in  various  parts,  in  some  cases  making  what 
is  accurate  and  clear  in  the  first  book,  unintelli- 
gible in  the  second.  On  p.  14  it  reads:  "I 
then  embarked  with  Messire  Francis  de  Laval 
then  created  Bishop  of  Petraa  in  partibus  infide- 
lium."  In  the  Avis  au  Lecteur  it  reads :  "  I  was 
sent  to  Canada  as  a  missionary  in  the  year  1676." 
"  I  made  it  (iiiy  travels)  in  North  America  from 


:t 


J 


i.l; 


50* 


SKETCH  OF 


^1,1;; 


iU      ':.   ' 


the  year  1679  to  1682,  when  I  returned  to 
Quebec."  "  I  published  a  part  of  my  voyage  at 
Paris,  in  the  year  1688." 

Now  he  really  came  over  in  1675;   Mgr.  Laval 
had  just  been  made  Bishop  of  Quebec,   and  as 
Hennepin   came  in  the  same  vessel  he  could   not 
forget    the    fact.     He    returned    to    Quebec     in 
1681,  and  published  his  first  book  in  1683.     We 
cannot    suppose    that    Hennepin    himself  could 
possibly  make  such  a  series  of  blunders.  He  would 
not  apply  the  recognized  Protestant  term  pasteur 
to  a  Catholic  cure,  nor  would  he  have  altered  his 
accurate  account  of  the  cove  where  the  Griffin 
anchored    at   Michilimakinac,  so  as  to   lose    all 
value  in  the  second  book. 

At  this  time  English  projects  of  expeditions 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  were  attracting 
attention,*  and  the  careless  irresponsible  editor 
whose  additions  had  already  injured  the  work, 


See  Coxe's  Carolana,  London  1727.     Preface. 


HENNEPIN. 


5' 


may  have  sought  to  increase   the  popularity  of 
the   book,   by   suppressing   part   and  inserting   a 
voyage  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  so 
as  to  make  the  volume  bear  directly  on  a  question 
of  the  day. 

That  this  addition  really  helped  to  commend 
It  to  public  favor,  will  be  readily  seen  by  the 
result. 

The  Nouvclle  DkouverLe  was  reprinted  at 
Amsterdam  in  1698,  in  French,  and  issued  in 
Dutch  in  1698  and  1699.  The  Nouveau  Voyage 
under  his  name  came  out  at  Utrecht  in  the  same 
year  1698,  made  up  from  Le  Clercq  and  con- 
taining the  Indian  matter  of  the  "  Description  de 
la  Louisiane  "  omitted  in  the  "  Nouvelle  Decou- 
verte." 

The  two  books  are  embraced  in  the  '*  New 
Discovery:'  of  which  two  editions  appeared  in 
London  in  1698,  and  another  edition  in  1699,  in 
which  year  also  a  Spanish  summary  of  the 
Nouvelle  Decouverte  appeared. 


h 


I 


\J  II 


52' 


SKETCH  OF 


To  sum  up  all,  the  case  stands  thus  :  "  The 
Description  of  Louisiana  "  by  Father  Hennepin, 
is  clearly  no  plagiarism  from  La  Salle's  account, 
and  on  the  contrary  the  so  called  La  Salle  Re- 
lation, is  an  anonymous  undated  plagiarism  from 
Hennepin's  book,  and  moreover  the  Description 
of  Louisiana,  is  sustained  by  contemporary  evi- 
dence and  by  the  topography  of  the  country,  and 
our  knowledge  of  the  language  and  manners  of 
the  Sioux.  It  shows  vanity  in  its  author,  but  no 
falsification.  So  far  as  it  goes  it  presents  Henne- 
pin as  truthful  and  accurate. 

A  later  work  shows  a  suppression  after  print- 
ing, introduction  of  new  and  untrue  matter,  and 
the  evident  hand  of  an  ignorant  editor.  For  this 
book  as  finally  published,  Hennepin  cannot  be 
held  responsible,  nor  can  he  justly  be  stigmatized 
as  mendacious  by  reason  of  its  false  assertions. 

The  third  book  is  evidently  by  the  same  editor 
as  the   second,  and    the  defence    which  it  puts 


HENNEPIN. 


53 


* 


forward   in   Hennepin's    name  cannot  alter    the 
facts,  or  make  the  original  author  responsible. 

In  view  of  all  this,  it  seems  that  now  at  least 
the  case  of  Hennepin  should  be  heard  with  more 
impartiality ;  and  we  call  for  a  rehearing  in  the 
view  of  documents  now  accessible,  under  the 
conviction  that  our  earlier  judgments  were  too 
hasty. 


I  i 


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DESCRIPTION 


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DESCRIPTION 

DE     LA 

LOUISIANE, 

NOUVHLLBMENT      DECOUVERT8 

au  SuaOli.ll  dc  la  Nouvclic  France, 

PAR  ORDRE  DU  ROY, 

JivtcU  Curtt  du  fay  I  •  Let  Mtenrt 
&  /«  Atttnitre  it  vivre 
det  6«HVAgts. 
DEDIE'E    A   SK  MAJESTE* 

P«r/*R.  P.  Louis    HE^^lE^>xK, 

Mi(fionnaire    Recollct    {jf 
NotAirt  ApoJloUque. 


A    PARIS, 

Ch« la Veuye  Sibastiin  Huri',  rut? 

Saint  Jacques,  a  i'lmagt  S.judmc, 

pris  S.  Soverin, 

M.   DC.    I  XXX  in. 


:,  I, 


DESCRIPTION 


LOUISIANA, 

RBCBNTLY  DISCOVnitBD  SOUTHWEST  OP 

NEW  FRANCE, 

BY  ORDER  OF  THE  KINO. 

WITH   A   MAP  OF  THE  COUNTRVj  THE   MANNERS   AND   MODE 
OP   LIFE  OF   THE    INDIANS. 

DEDICATED  TO  HIS  MAJESTY, 

By  THE  Rev.  FATHER  LOUIS  HENNEPIN, 

RECOLLECT  MISSIONARY   AND 
NOTARY   APOSTOLIC. 


PARIS. 

Th.    Widow    or   Sebastian    Hure,  Rue 

St.  jAc<yiEs,  at  the  Picture  of  St 

Jerome  near  St.  Severin. 

1683 

WITH  THE   ROYAL   PRIVILEGE. 


TO  THE  KING. 


Sire  : 

I  never  should  have  ventured  to  take  the 
liberty  of  offering  to  your  Majesty  the  Relation 
of  a  new  Discovery  which  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
Governor  of  Fort  Frontenac,  my  Companions  and 
myself,  have  just  made  southwest  of  New  France, 
had  it  not  been  undertaken  by  your  orders,  and 
had  not  the  glory  of  obeying  so  glorious  a 
Monarch,  in  an  employment  having  in  view  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen,  led  me  into  this  enter- 
prize. 

It  is  in  this  thought,  Sire,  that  I  undertook  so 
long  and  so  painful  a  voyage,  without  fearing  the 
greatest  dangers.  I  even  venture  to  assure  your 
Majesty,  that  the  bloody  death  of  one  of  my  Re- 
collect companions,  massacred  by  those  savages,  a 
captivity  of  eight  months  in  which  I  have  seen  my 
life  cruelly  exposed,  could  not  weaken  my  courage, 
having  always  made  it   a  consolation   amid  my 


4+ 


EPISTLE. 


hardships,  to  labor  for  a  God,  whom  I  wished  to 
see  known  and  adored  by  these  nations,  and  for 
a  King  whose  glory  and  whose  virtues  are  un- 
bounded. 

It  is  clear,  Sire,  that  as  soon  as  we  have  been  able 
to  tame  them  and  win  their  friendship,  the  par- 
tial account  we  have  given  them  of  your  Most 
Christian  Majesty's  heroic  virtues,  your  sur]  rizing 
actions  in  your  conquests,  the  happiness  and  love 
of  your  subjects,  has  inclined  them  to  receive 
more  readily  the  principles  of  Gospel  truths  and 
to  reverence  the  cross  which  we  have  carved  on 
trees  above  your  Arms,  as  a  mark  of  the  con- 
tinual protection  which  you  give  the  Christian 
religion,  and  to  make  them  remember  the  prin- 
ciples which  we  have  happily  taught  them. 

We  have  givt-n  the  name  of  Louisiana  ■''  to  this 
great  Discovery,  being  persuaded  that  your 
Majesty  would   not    disapprove    that    a    part  of 

=•'  As  for  the  credit  of  naming  Louisiana,  see  La  Salle's  Grant 
of  an  island  to  Fran9ois  Daiipin,  Sicur  de  la  Forest,  June   lo 
1679.     Margry  ii,  p.  21,  where  the  term  Louisiana  is  used. 


n 


F.PISTLE. 


45 


the  earth  watered  by  a  river  more  than  eight 
hundred  leagues  in  length,  and  much  greater  than 
Europe,  which  we  may  call  the  Delight  of  Ame- 
rica and  which  is  capable  of  forming  a  great 
Empire,  should  henceforth  be  known  under  the 
august  name  of  Louis,  that  it  may  thereby  have 
some  show  of  right  to  aspire  to  the  honor  of  your 
protection,  and  hope  for  the  advantage  of  belong- 
ing to  you. 

It  seems.  Sire,  that  God  had  destined  you  to  be 
its  Master,  by  the  happy  correspondence  that  there 
is  between  your  glorious  name  and  the  Sun,  which 
they  call  Louis  in  their  language,  and  to  which 
in  token  of  their  respect  and  adoration,  they 
extend  their  pipe  before  smoking,  with  these 
words:  Tchendiouba  =;=  Louis,  that  is  to  say 
« Smoke  O  Sun."     Thus  your    Majesty's   name 

*  Riggs  gives  in  his  Dakota   Dictionary  pp.  40-1,  Ch,ndu- 
hupa,  a   Dakota   pipe,  evidently  Hennepin's  word  :  and  wi,  the 
sun  or  moon,  lb.  p.  240,  equivalent  to  the  French  oui;  in  Yank 
ton   uwi,    Parkman's    Discovery,  p.    229;    equivalent    to    the 
f  rench  ouis  (oo-we)  and  approaching  nearer  to  Louis. 


+6 


EPISTLE. 


is  every  moment  on  their  lips,  as  they  do  nothing 
till  they  have  rendered  homage  to  the  Sun  under 
this  name  of  Louis. 

After  that,  Sire,  no  one  will  doubt  that  it  is  a 
-"cret  mystery  of  Providence  which  has  reserved 
to  your  care  and  your  piety,  the  glory  of  causing 
the  Light  of  Faith  to  be  borne  to  these  blind 
ones,  and  of  drawing  them  from  the  darkness  in 
which  they  would  always  have  lived,  had  not 
your  Majesty,  more  devoted  to  the  service  of  God 
and  religion  than  to  the  government  of  your  States, 
honored  us  with  this  pious  task,  while  you  labor 
successfully  for  the  destruction  of  heresy. 

I  implore  of  heaven.  Sire,  that  the  happiness 
which  attends  the  justice  of  your  actions,  may 
crown  such  noble,  grand  and  holy  undertakings. 
These  are  the  prayers  and  vows  which  all  the 
Recollects  of  your  kingdom  offer  to  God  at  the 
foot  of  the  Altars,  and  especially  myself,  who 
only  desire  to  have  the  happiness  of  continuing 
to  render  your  Majesty  the  service  which  I  vowed 


EPISTLE. 


+7 


h 


to  you  at  the  time  of  the  Campaigns  in  Holland, 
where  I  had  the  happiness  of  following  your 
sacred  person  as  a  missionary,  my  greatest  passion 
being  to  worship  my  God,  to  serve  my  King  and 
to  give  him  marks  of  the  zeal  and  the  most 
profound  respect  with  which  I  am,  Sire, 

Your  Majesty's  most    humble,  most 

obedient  and  most  faithful  subject 

and  servant. 

F.  Louis  Hennepin, 

Recollect  Missionary. 


Extract  From  The  Royal  Privilege. 


By  the  grace  and  privilege  of  the  King,  given 
at  Chaville,  September   3d,  1682,  signed  by  the 
King  in  his  Council,  Junquieres,  it  is  permitted 
to   the   Widow   of  Sebastian    Hure,    late   book- 
seller at  Paris,  to  cause  to  be  printed  a  book  en- 
titled    Description    of    Louisiana,     a      Country 
newly  discovered   in  North    America,  composed 
by  the  Rev.  Father  Louis  Hannepin,  Recollect 
Missionary  and   Apostolic   Notary,  for  the   time 
and   space  of  twenty   consecutive  years,  to  date 
from  the  day  when   the  printing  of  said  book  is 
completed  for  the  first  time.     And  proliibition 
to  all  publishers  and  others  to  print,  sell  and  cir- 
culate,   under    any    pretext    ./hatever,    even    of 
foreign  edition   or  otherwise,  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  said  publisher  or  her  representatives, 
under  the  penalty  of  3,000  livres  tine,  payable 
without  deposits,  by  each  offender,  confiscation 
of  copies,  counterfeits,  and  all  expenses,  damages 


+ 


+9 

and   interest,   as  is  more   amply  set   forth  in  said 
privilege. 

Registered  m  the  book  of  the  Community  of 
Booksellers  and  Printers  of  Paris,  September 
I  oth,  1 682,  according  to  the  Arret  of  Parliament, 
April  8,  1653,  and  that  of  the  King's  Privy 
Council,  Feb.  27,  1665. 

(Signed)     Angot,  Syndic. 

Printing  for  the  first  edition  completed  January  5th,  1683. 


;«• 


.-  IP 

1 


¥■ 


^ 


DESCRIPTION 


•r» 


OP 


NEWLY    DISCOVERED  SOUTHWEST  OF  NEW  FRANCE, 
BY  ORDER  OF  HIS  MAJESTY. 


It  is  some  years=^-  since  the  Sieur  Robert  Cave- 
lier  de  la  Salle  was  convinced  from  the  informa- 
tion which  he  had  derived  from  several  Indians 
of  various  nations  that  important  establishments 
might  be  made  in  a  southwesterly  direction, 
beyond  the  great  lakes,  and  that  even  by  means 
of  a  great  river  which  the  Iroquois  call    Hohio, 

*  This  is  followed  closely  by  the  "  Relation  des  descouvertes 
et  des  voyages  du  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  seigneur  et  gouvcrneur  du 
fort   de   Fronteiiac,   au  dela  des  grands   lacs   de   la   Nouvelle 
France,  faits  par  I'ordre  de  Monseigneur  Colbert  1679-80-81.' 
Margry  1,  p.  435,  etc. 


52 


A    DESCRIPTION 


which  empties  into  Meschasipi,  which  in  the 
language  of  the  Islinois  means  great  river,-''  one 
could  penetrate  even  to  the  sea. 

With  this  design  he  purchased  a  house  on  the 
Island  of  Montreal,  at  the  spot  called  la  Chine, 
where  they  embark  to  ascend  higher  up  along 
the  great  river  St.  Lawrence;  he  subsequently 
imparted  his  idea  to  Monsieur  de  Courcelles, 
Governor  of  New  France,  who  found  it  well 
grounded,  and  who  for  this  reason  encouraged 
him  to  carry  it  out ;  he  made  several  voyages, 
sometimes  with  Frenchmen,  sometimes  with 
Indians,  and  even  for  a  distance  of  a  hundred 
leagues,  to  the  end  of  Lake  Frontenac  with  Mes- 
srs. Dolier  and  Galinee,  priests  of  St.  Sulpice,  in 
the  year  1669,  but  a  violent  fever  compelled  the 
latter  to  leave  them  as  they  entered  Lake  de 
Comty,  and  the  former  sometime  afterwards  were 
compelled  by  other  unforeseen  accidents  to  lay  up 
among  the  Onttaouactzf  and  to  return  to  Canada 

*  The  Relation  in  Margry  gives  none  of  these  interpretations. 
It  says :  "some  Indians  call    Ohio,  others  Mississipi," 
t  Ottawas. 


7     ^'*=S3SjSfiEiSiBC«* 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


53 


1 


«>5« 


without  their  having  ever  since  dreamed  of  carry- 
ing out  their  first  design,  the  Providence  of  God 
having  thus  permitted  it  and  reserved  it  to  the 
religions  of  our  order.* 

The  Sieur  de  Courcelles  and  the  Sieur  Talon, 
the  very  vigilant  Intendant  of  New  France,  wrote 
urging  him  to  continue  his  discoveries,  and  a 
favorable  opportunity  offered. 

Atter  the  Sieur  Tracy  sent  by  the  King  to 
Canada  in  1665,  had  forced  the  Iroquois  to  sue  for 
peace,  he  deemed  it  necessary  in  order  to  keep  in 
check  these  savages,  to  erect  some  forts  in  the 
places  by  which  the  Iroquois  had  been  accustomed 
to  pass,  in  order  to  come  and  attack  our  settle- 
ments. With  this  view,  Forts  Sorel  and  Cham- 
bly  were  built  on  Richelieu  river,  which  empties 
into  the  Saint  Lawrence  ;  and  some  years  later 
Fort  Frontenac  was  erected  one  hundred  and 
twenty  leagues  further  South   near  the  outlet  of 

*  For  this  expedition  see  P'aillon,  Histoire  de  la  Colonic 
Franv'aise,  3  pp.  286-306,  Dollier  de  Casson,  Histoire  de  Mon- 
treal, pp.  198-9.  An  anonymous  document  in  Margry  (i,  p. 
377),  misrepresents  it  most  audaciously.  See  "  Margry's  La 
Salle  Bubble  Bursted." 


54 


A     DRSt'RIPTION 


Lake  Frontenac  or  Ontario  which  means  Beauti- 
ful Lake.* 

Thisf  fort    was    sodded    and    surrounded    by 
palisades   and    four    bastions  by  the   care  of  the 
Count   de  Frontenac,   governor   general  of    the 
country,  to   resist   the  Iroquois  and   this  gallant 
nobleman  for  the  ten  years  of  his  administration 
has  made  himself  beloved,  by  the  awe  with  which 
he  inspired  these  savages,  by  planting  Fort  Fron- 
tenac which  is  situated  within  their  country,  and 
by  this   fortress   he  has   revived  in   America   the 
name  of  his  ancestors,  who  were   the  favorites  of 
one  of  our  greatest  Kings,  Henry  IV,  and  gover- 
nors of  the  castle  of  St.  Germain   en    Laye,  and 
without  disparaging  the  Governors  General  who 
preceded  him,  this  one  has  been  the  father  of  the 
poor,  the  protector  of  the  oppressed,  and  a  perfect 
model  of  piety  and  religion.     Those  who  come 
after  us  in    Canada  will    regret   him  and   admire 

♦Ontara,  lake  ;  Ontario,  beautiful  lake. 

t  This  paragraph  is  not  in  Margry.  The  barracks  near  the 
western  end  ot  Cataraqui  bridge,  at  Kingston,  mark  the  site  of 
the  French  fort.     Parkman,  p.  83. 


- 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


55 


* 


*« 


1 


his  wise  administration  and  his  zeal  for  the  King's 
service  in  his  perilous  canoe  voyages,  on  which 
this  illustrious  governor  has  often  risked  his  life 
for  the  good  and  defense  of  the  country.* 

The  command  of  tort  Frontenac  falling 
vacant,  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  who  had  experienced 
great  difficulties  in  ascending  the  frightful  falls 
and  rapids,  which  are  encountered  for  more  than 
thirty  leagues  between  Montreal  and  Fort  Fron- 
tenac, resolved  to  come  to  France  to  solicit  this 
post  from  the  King. 

He  arrived  at  Rochelle  in  1675,!  and  offered 
to  complete  this  fort  at  his  own  expense,  and  to 
maintain  a  sufficient  garrison  and  as  the  Count 
de  Frontenac  had  advanced  more  than  15000 
livres  in  establishing  the  fort  and  maintaining 
the  garrison,  he  offered  besides  to  reimburse  him, 
provided  the  Court  would  grant  him,  the  gov- 
ernorship  and  ownership  of  the  fort.  His  pro- 
posals were  accepted  by  Mr.  Colbert,  who  caused 

*  Father   Gabriel  de  la  Ribourde,  was  the  first   Chaplain  at 
Fort  Frontenac,  LeClercq,  Etabiissment  de  la  Foi  2  p  ,  1,2. 
t  Really  in  1674. 


1 


S6 


A     DESCRIPTION 


the  grants  to  be  issued  to  him,-''  through  the  in- 
riuence  of  Mr.  de  Belizani,  who  greatly  aided 
this  noble  enterprise,  and  the  establishments  that 
will  be  formed  hereafter  will  owe  him  this 
obligation. 

As  soon  as  he  had  returned  to  Canada,  the 
Count  de  Frontenac  proceeded  to  the  spot,  to 
aid  him  in  demolishing  the  first  fort,  which  was  f 
enclosed  only  by  stout  palisades  and  turf.  He 
erected  another  three  hundred  and  sixty  fathom 
in  circumference,  revested  with  four  bastions  of 
cut  stone.  They  worked  so  diligently  on  it  that 
it  was  brought  to  completion  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  although  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  was  not  ob- 
liged to  make  so  great  an  outlay. "j" 

This  fort  stands  on  the  north  side  and  near 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Frontenac  on  a  peninsula,  the 
isthmus  of  which  he  has  dug  through,  the  other 
three  sides  being  surrounded  by  the  lake  and  by 

*  The  rest  of  this  paragraph  not  in  Margry.  See  Le  Clercq. 
Etablissement,  2  p.  117.  The  grant  and  patent  of  nobility  are 
in  N.  Y.  Colonial  Documents,  ix  pp.  123-5. 

t  Only  60  fathoms  in  circuit  according  to  i  Margry,  r  p.  437. 

I  Compare  Nouvelle  Decouverte,  pp.  30-2. 


OF     LOUISIANA.  5^ 

a  large  har'oor,  where  vessels  of  all  kinds  can 
anchor  in  safety.  Lake  Frontenac  is  eighty 
leagues  long  and  twenty-Hve  or  thirty  wide  ;  it 
abounds  in  fish,  is  deep  and  navigable  in  all  parts. 
The  five  cantons  of  the  Iroquois  live  mainly 
south  of  this  same  lake,  and  some  of  them  on 
the  north. 

The  Count  de  Frontenac  having  gone  several 
years  in  succession  to  the  fort  escorted  by  soldiers 
and  by  forty  canoes,  managed  by  men  of  great 
resolution  in  action,  his  presence  has  impressed 
fear  and  respect  for  the  whole  French  nation  on 
the  mind  of  the  haughtiest  of  these  savages.  He 
annually  convened  the  most  influential  of  the 
Iroquois  in  council,  explaining  to  them  the  means 
they  should  adopt  in  order  to  embrace  Christianity, 
exhorting  them  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, giving  them  the  bias  that  they  should 
take  to  entertain  friendly  relations  with  him,  and 
to  maintain  trade  with  the  French,  whom  after 
the  mode  of  expression  of  the  Indians,  he  called 
his  nephews,  and  the  Iroquois  his  children.  It 
8 


w^m 


:8 


A    DESCRIPTION 


is  by  these  methods  that  this  wise  governor  has 
preserved  peace  as  long  as  he  has  been  in  Canada, 
making  presents  to  the  Indians  in  favor  of  the 
Missionaries. •f' 

The  situation  of  this  fort  is  so  advantageous, 
that  by  means  of  it,  it  is  easy  to  cut  off  the  Iro- 
quois on  their  raids  or  their  return,  or  to  carry 
the  war  into  their  country  in  twenty-f  ur  hours, 
during  the  time  that  they  are  out  on  war  parties, 
by  means  of  barks  from  Fort  Frontenac ;  the 
Sieur  de  la  Salle  having  built  three,  full  decked, 
on  the  lake,  has  trained  his  men  so  well  to  manage 
canoes  in  the  most  frightful  rapids,  that  they  are 
now  the  most  skillful  canoemtn  in  America. 

As  the  land  bordering  on  the  lake  is  very  fertile, 
he  has  cultivated  several  acres,  where  wheat,  pulse 
and  potherbs  have  succeeded  very  well,  although 
the  wheat  was  at  first  injured  by  grasshoppers,  as 
generally  happens  in  new  clearings  in  Canada  on 
account  of  the  great  humidity  of  the  earth.  He 
has  raised  poultry  and  horned  cattle,  of  which  he 
has   now  thirty-five  head ;  and  as   there  are  very 

*  Briefly  in   Margry,  i,  p.  438. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


59 


rine  trees   there  fit  for  house  and   ship   building, 
and   the  winter   is   nearly  three   months  shorter 
than  in  Canada,  there  is  reason  to  believe  ihat  a 
considerable  colony  will    be  formed,  there  being 
already  thirteen  or  fourteen  families  and  a  mission* 
house  which    I    built  with    our  dear  Recollect 
Father.  Lake  Buisset,  with  the  help  of  Sieur  de  la 
Salle,  whereby  we   have  attracted   a  pretty  large 
village  of  Iroquois,  whose  children  we  teach  to 
read  with  our  little  French   children,  and   they 
teach    each  other  their  language  in  turn.     This 
mamtains  a  good   understanding  with   the   Iro- 
quois, who  clear  the  land  in  order  to  plant  Indian 
corn  so  as  to  subsist  all  the  year  except  the  hunt- 
ing  season. 

While  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  was  engaged  in 
buildmg  his  fort,  men  envious  of  him,  judging 
by  this  hne  beginning  what  he  might  be  able  to 
do  in  the  sequel,!  with  o"r  Recollect  missionaries, 

*  The  rest  of  the  paragraph  is  omittted  in  Margry's  Relation 
The  Nou.,,  Decou..ru^  p.  24,  speaks  of  building' a'chtbu; 
on  p.  60  calls  it  as  here  a  mission  house.  ' 

t  To  "  fo:  t  "  omitted  by  Margry. 


Km 


60 


A    DESCRIPTION 


who  by  their  disinterested  life,  were  attracting 
several  families  which  came  to  settle  at  the  Fort, 
put  forward  the  Sieiir  Joliet  to  anticipate  him  in 
his  discoveries.  He  went  by  the  Bay  of  the 
Puants  to  the  river  Meschasipi,  on  which  he 
descended  to  the  Islinois,  and  returned  by  the 
Lakes  to  Canada,  without  having  then  or  after- 
wards attempted  to  form  any  post  '^  or  made  any 
report  to  the  Court. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1678  f  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  came  to  France  to  report  to  Monsieur  Col- 
bert, what  he  had  done  to  execute  his  orders;  he 
then  represented  to  him  that  this  Fort  Frontenac 
gave  him  great  advantages  for  making  discoveries 
with  our  Recollects,  that  his  main  object  in  build- 

*  Rest  of  sentence  omitted  by  Margry.  Joliet  did  make  a 
report  to  Frontenac,  see  the  letter  of  the  Count  to  Colbert. 
N.  Y.  Col.  Doc,  ix,  p.  121.  Joliet  applied  for  a  grant  and 
was  refused.  Joliet  knew  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  routes  to 
it  before  La  Salle,  and  as  early  as  i66g  advised  him  and  the 
Sulpiiians,  Uollier  de  Casson  and  (lalinee,  to  go  by  way  of  the 
Wisconsin.     Margry  1,  p.  144.      Faillon,   Histoire,  iii,  p.  286. 

Hennepin  here  follows  the  general  story  of  the  La  Salle  party 
In  regard  to  Joliet. 

t  1677,  Margry,  i,  p.  439. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


6i 


ing  that  fort  had   been   to  continue  these  dis- 
coveries in   rich,  fertile  and   temperate  countries, 
where  the  trade  merely  in  the  skins  and  wool  of 
the  wild  cattle,  which  the  Spaniards  call  Cibola, 
might  establish  a  great  commerce,   and  support 
powerful  colonies ;  that  nevertheless,  as  it  would 
be  difficult  to  bring  these  cattle  skins  in  canoes, 
he  petitioned    Monsieur  Colbert   to  grant   him  a 
commission  to  go  and  discover  the  mouth  of  the 
great  river  Meschasipi,  on  which  ships  could   be 
built  to  come  to  France;  and  that  in  view  of  the 
great  expense  that  he  had   incurred   chiefly  for 
building  and  keeping  up  Fort  Frontenac,  he  would 
deign  to  grant  him  the  privilege  of  carrying  on 
exclusively  the  trade   in  bufl="alo  skins,  of  which 
he  had   brought  one    as  a   sample.      This   was 
granted  him. 

He  set  out  from  France  in  the  month  of  July 
in  the  year  1678  with  the  Sieurs  la  Motte  *  and 
Tonty,  a  pilot,  sailors  and  several  others,  to  the 
number  of  about  thirty  persons,  anchors  and  rig- 

*  La  Mottc  omitted  in  Margry  •   p.  439.  Compare  Lc  Clercq 
ii,  p.  139. 


62 


A    DESCRIPTION 


ging  for  the  barks  which  he  intended  to  build, 
and  the  necessary  arms  and  goods.  At  the  close 
of  September  he  reached  Quebec,  whence  he 
sent  on  his  men  to  transport  the  goods  and  pro- 
visions to  Fort  Frontenac.  He  brought'-'  me 
from  France  an  order  from  our  Reverend  Father 
Germain  Allart,  who  is  at  present  Bishop  of 
Vence.f  and  letters  from  the  Very  Reverend 
Father  Hyacinth  le  Fevre,  now  provincial  of  our 
Recollects  in  Artois,  by  which  he  manifested  to 
me  great  zeal  for  the  progress  of  our  American 
missions,  and  begged  me  to  accompany  the  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  in  his  discoveries.  Father  Valentine 
le  Roux,  our  Commissary  Provincial  in  Canada 
gave  me  a  complete  chapel  for  my  voyage,  I 
then  went  to  obtain  the  blessing  of  Monsieur 
Francis  de  la  Valle,  first  Bishop  of  Quebec,  and 
his   written  sanction.;};     We  then   dined  at   the 

*Thisdown  to  words  "'Mission  House"  does  not  appear  in  the 
Margry  Relation. 


t  He  held  the  see  from  1681  to   1685. 

X  Nouvelle    Decouverte,    p.    62. 
Francis  de  Laval  de  Montmorency. 


he    Bishop's    name    is 


OF    LOUISIANA.  63 

table  of  the  Count  de  Frontenac  Governor  of  the 
country,  who  during  the  repast  did  us  the  honor 
to  say  to  the  company  that  he  would  report  to 
the  court  the  zeal  of  the  Recollects  and  the  cour- 
age of  our  undertakings. 

We  embarked  to  the  number  of  three,  in  our 
little  bark  canoe  with  our  portable  chapel,  a 
blanket  and  a  rush  mat  which  served  as  a  bed. 
This  composed  our  whole  outfit. 

The  people  on  the  banks  as  we  passed  between 
Quebec  and  Monreal,  earnestly  begged    me    to 
say  mass  for  them  and  administer  the  sacraments, 
explaining  to  me  that  they  could  be  present  at 
divine  service  only  five  or  six  times  a  year,  inas- 
much as  there  were  only  four  missionaries  in   a 
stretch   of  fifty   leagues    of    country.     At    Saint 
Hour   I  baptized  a  child,  giving   notice  to  the 
missionary  who  was  absent.     We  continued  our 
route  by  Harpentinie===  where  the  Seigneur  of  the 
place  would  have  given  me  one  of  his  sons  for 
the  voyage,  if  our  canoe  had  been  large  enough 

*  St.  Ours,  and  Arpentigny. 


64 


A    DESCRIPTION 


H 


•  (, 

■  r 


for  four  men/''  On  my  arrival  at  Monreal.f 
they  debauched  my  canoemen  from  me,  which 
compelled  me  to  take  advantage  of  the  offer  of 
two  other  canoeman  who  gave  me  a  little  corner  in 
their  frail  vessel,  and  after  surmounting  the  rapids 
for  thirty  leagues,  we  arrived  at  Fort  PVontenac 
on  All  Souls*  Day,  1678,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
Father  Gabriel  de  la  Ribourde  and  Father  Luke 
Buisset,  missionaries,  received  me  with  extraordi- 
nary zeal  in  our  Mission  house. ;{;  The  Sieur  de 
la  Salle  arrived  some  time  after  us,  as  soon  as  he 
had  completed  his  arrangements,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  same  year  he  sent  on  fifteen  of  his  men 
with  goods  to  the  amount  of  six  or  seven  thous- 

*  While  at  La  Chine  he  gave  rise  to  the  ajf'aire  Roland,  an 
ecclesiastical  case  which  embruiled  Canada.     See  Margry  i,  pp. 

3'0.  3>3>  3»5- 

t  The  Nouvelle  Decouv.  mentions   his  stopping  at   Three 
Rivers  and  officiating  there,  Oct.  i,  p.  64. 

\  Nouvelle  Decouv.  p,  66.  Le  Clercq,  Etablisscment  dc  la  Foi, 
1  p.  1 14,  adds  that  Father  Hennepin,  "  made  excursions  among 
the  Iroquois  nations,  attracted  families  to  the  fort  and  having 
perfected  himself  in  the  knowledge  of  their  language  and 
the  means  of  gaining  them  to  God,  labored  several  years  there 
with  fruit."     He  eulogizes  Father  Luke. 


1 


OF    LOUISIANA.  65 

and  livres,  with  orders  to  proceed  in  canoes,  and 
await  us  at  the  Islinois,  who  live  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Meschasipi,  in  order  to  begin  by 
establishing  there  a  good  understanding  with 
these  Indians,  and  to  prepare  provisions  and 
other  things  necessary  for  the  continuation  of 
our  discoveries.-^^ 

Wef  had  a  conference  with  our  two  Religious 
at  the  Fort,  on  the  measures  necessary  to  be 
taken  to  extend  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ 
among  these  numerous  nations  which  had  never 
heard  the  true  God  spoken  of,  or  conversed  with 
Europeans. 

On  the  1 8th  of  November  1678  J  I  took  leave 
of  these  Fathers,  who  accompanied  us  to  the 
lake  shore,  and  with  sixteen  men  we  entered  a 

*  Margry  i,  p.  440,  says  7  or  8000.  That  Relation  always 
writes  Mississipi, 

t  This  down  to  "  return  to  Fort  Frontenac"  is  not  in  Margry. 
There  is  merely  a  brief  statement  of  the  sending  of  carpenters 
and  other  men  under  the  direction  of  Sieur  de  la  Motte  and 
F.  Louis  Hennepin.  Margry  i,  p.  440.  The  Nouv.  Dec,  p. 
68,  amplifies. 

JLe  CIcrcq  ii,  p.  141. 


r 


9 

'f! 


66 


A    DKSCRIPTION 


i. 


u- 


1 


!)) 


brigantine.  The  autumn  winds  and  cold  being 
then  very  violent,  our  men  were  afraid  to  embark 
in  a  craft  of  about  ten  tons.  This  obliged  the 
Sieur  de  la  Motte  who  commanded,  to  keep  con- 
stantly along  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Frontenac 
so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the  Northwesters 
which  would  have  driven  us  on  the  so  utherii 
shore.  On  the  26th,  our  vessel  being  weather- 
bound two  good  leagues  from  land,  we  were 
compelled  to  anchor  all  night,  with  sixty 
fathoms  of  cable  and  in  evident  danger.  At  last 
the  wind  shifting  from  East  to  Northeast,  we 
reached  the  upper  end  of  Lake  PVontenac  at  an 
Iroquois  village  called  Teiaiagon,  situated  on  the 
north  about  seventy  leagues  from  Fort  Frontenac.'"^ 
We  bought  some  Indian  corn  of  the  Iroquois, 
who  often  came  to  visit  us  on  our  brigantine, 
which  we  had  run  up  a  river, j-  and  placed  safely, 
but  we  ran  aground  three  times  before  we  got 
in,  and   we  were  obliged  to  land  fourteen  of  our 

*  The  Nouv.  Dccouv.  p.  73  here  gives  Skamiailario  as  the 
Iroquois  name  of  the  lake. 

f  Le  Clercq,  Etablissement,  de  la  Foi,  ii,  p,  141.  This 
was  the  Humber.    Marshall,  Building  of  the  Griffon,  p.  257. 


OK     LOUISIANA.  67 

men  and  throw  our  ballast  overboard,  to  extricate 
ourselves.    We  were  obliged  to  cut  away  with  axes 
the  ice  that  would  have  locked  us   in   the  river. 
As  a  suitable  wind  failed  us,  we  could  not   pro- 
ceed till  December  5th,  1678,  and  as  we  had  fif- 
teen leagues   passage  to   make  from    the  land   at 
the  extremity  of  the  lake  to  Niagara,  we  succeeded 
in  making  only  ten  leagues  towards  the  southern 
shore,  where  we  anchored   about   three  leagues* 
from    land,   and  were   roughly  tossed   all    night 
by  the  stormy  weather.     On  the  6th,  St.  Nicho- 
las' day,  we  entered  the  beautiful  river  Niagara, 
which  no  bark  had  ever  yet  entered.     After  the 
Te  Deum  and  ordinary  prayers  for  thanksgiving, 
the  Tsonnontouanf   Indians    of  the   whole    lit- 
tle village  situated   at   the   mouth  of  the   river, 
with     one   draught    of    the    seine,    took   more 
than  three  hundred  white  fish,  larger  than   carp, 
which  are  of  excellent  taste,  and  the  least  inju- 
rious of  all  fishes  in   the  world.     These  savages 
gave  them  all  to  us,  ascribing  their   luck  in  fish- 
ing to  the  arrival  of  the  great  wooden  canoe. 

*  Four  or  five.     Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  257. 
t  Senecas. 


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68 


A    DESCRIPTION 


On  the  seventh  we  ascended  two  leagues  up 
the  river  in  a  bark  canoe,''^  to  seek  a  place 
suitable  for  building  and  being  unable  to  go  any 
higher  up  in  a  canoe,  nor  to  surmount  some  very 
violent  rapids,  we  proceeded  to  explore  on  land 
three  leagues  further,  and  finding  no  earth  fit 
to  cultivate,  we  slept  near  a  river  which  flows 
from  the  west,  one  league  above  the  great  fall 
of  Niagara. f  There  was  a  foot  of  snow,  which 
we  removed  to  build  a  fire,  and  the  next  day  we 
retraced  our  steps.  On  our  way  we  saw  a  great 
number  of  deer,  and  Hocks  of  wild  turkeys  ;  and 
after  the  first  mass  that  had  ever  been  celebrated 
in  those  places,  the  carpenters  with  other  men 
were  employed  under  the  direction  of  the  Sieur 
de  la  Motte,  who  was  never  able  to  endure  the 
rigor  of  such  a  life  of  hardship.  He  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  some  time  afterwards  and  return 
to  Fort  Frontenacj" 

*  As  far  as  the  Mountain  Ridge.      Marshall,  p.  258. 
t  Chippewa  Creek,  lb. 

X  Dec.  II.  Nouv.  Decouv  p.  76.     He  then  continues,  saying 
that  tlie  winds  prevented  their  doing  anything  the  three  follow- 


OF    LOUISIANA.  69 

The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  not  having  been  able  to 
build  a  bark  at  Fort  Frontenac  on  account  of  a 
portage  of  two  leagues  at  the  great  Fall  of  Niag- 
ara, but  for  which,  one  might  sail  in  a  large  bark 
from  Lake  Frontenac  to  the  end  of  Lake  Dau- 
phin, through  lakes  which  may  justly  be  styled 
Fresh  Seas. 

The  great  river  St.  Lawrence  takes  its  rise  from 
several  large  lakes,  among  which  there  are  five 
of  extraordinary  size  and  which  are  all  badly 
portrayed  on  the  printed  maps.  These  lakes 
are,  first.  Lake  Conde  or  Tracy ;  second.  Lake 
Dauphin  or  Islinois  ;  third,  Lake  Orleans  or  of 
the  Hurons ;  fourth,  Lake  Conly  or  Erie,  and  fifth 


ing  days.  The  15th  the  ba-k  was  towed  up  to  the  great  rock, 
he  steering.  On  the  17th  a  cabin  of  logs  was  made  for  a 
storehouse.  The  18th  and  119th  they  had  to  pour  boiling  water 
in  the  ground  to  drive  posts  ir,i.  From  the  20  to  23d  they  were 
engaged  in  drawing  the  bark  ashore  to  save  it  from  the  ice  and 
Thomas  Charpentier  of  Artois  effected  it.  Marshall,  p.  258 
makes  Lewiston  the  site  of  this  cabin.  The  Great  Rock  since 
known  as  Hennepin's,  though  less  conspicious  and  no  longer 
separated  from  the  bank  by  water  is  to  be  seen  under  the 
western  end  of  the  old  Suspension   Bridge,     Marshall,  p.  265. 


■>%. 


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70 


A    DESCRIPTION 


Lake  Ontario,  called  Frontenac*  They  are  all 
of  fresh  water  very  good  to  drink,  abound  in  fish, 
surrounded  by  fertile  lands,  except  the  first. 
They  are  of  easy  navigation,  even  for  large  vessels, 
but  difficult  in  winter  on  account  of  the  high 
winds  which  prevail  there. 

Lake  Conde  and  Lake  Dauphin  are  the  most 
distant  westward.  The  former  which  runs  from 
East  to  West  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues 
long,  about  sixty  wide  and  about  five  hundred 
leagues  in  circuit.  The  latter  which  is  situated 
to  the  north  and  south,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty 
or  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  length,  and  forty  to 
fifty  leagues  in  width,  and  nearly  four  hundred 
leagues  in  circuit.  These  two  lakes  empty  into 
that  of  Orleans,  the  former  by  a  rapid  full  of 
rocks,  which  you  cannot  navigate  and  the  other 
by  the  strait  of  Missilimakinac.     Lake  Orleans 

*  Margry's  Relation  calls  them  simply,  Lake  Superior,  Lake 
of  the  Islinois,  Lake  of  the  Hurons,  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Fron- 
tenac.  I  p.  440.  They  are  described  more  at  length  in  the 
Nouv.  Decoiiv.,  p.  40,  etc.  He  there  calls  them  Lake  Superior, 
Lake  Illinois,  Lake  Huron,  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Frontenac  or 
Ontario,  Lake  Illinois  being  the  modern  Michigan. 


HA^ 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


71 


empties  by  a  long,  very  beautiful  and   navigable 
channel  into  Lake  (  onty,  so  that  as  these  two  latter 
lakes,  are  about  equal  to  Lake  Dauphin  and  are 
not  separated  h'om  each  other  by  any  inconvenient 
rapid,  you  can  sail  by  hark  from  the  extremity  of 
Lake    Dauphin    for   a  distance  of  four  hundred 
leagues  to  the  end  of  Lake  Conty,  where  naviga- 
tion is  interrupted  by  the  great  Fall  of  Niagara. 
Lake    Conty   empties    into    Lake    Frontenac, 
but  during   ten  leagues  of  this  last   lake  it  closes 
in='=  at  a  great  island  which  forms  two  channels, 
and  at  some  islets,  and  this  narrowing  in  is  called 
the    Niagara    River,    which    after     a    course    of 
fourteen  leagues  empties  into  Lake  Frontenac  at 
40"  20'  N.     The  waters  of  this  strait,  or  of  this 
part  and  river  oi  Lake  Conty,  have  a  current,  and 
are  very  diffi  ;ult  to  ascend  by  sail,  especially  one 
league  from    its   issue  from    Lake   Conty.     Four 
leagues  from  Lake  Frontenac  there  is  an  incredi- 
ble Cataract  or  Waterfall,  which  has  no   equal. 
The   Niagara  river   near   this  place   is  only  the 
eighth  of  a   league  wide,  but    it  is  very  deep  in 
At  a  "  to  "  islets  "  omitted  by  Margry. 


*    C( 


72 


A    DESCRIPTION 


places,  and  so  rapid  above  the  great  fall,  that  it 
hurries  down  all  the  animals  which  try  to  cross 
it,  without  a  single  one  being  able  to  withstand  its 
current.  They  plunge  down  a  height  of  more  than 
five  hundred  feet,*  and  its  fall  is  composed  of 
two  sheets  of  water  and  a  cascade,  with  an  island 
sloping  down.  In  the  middle  these  waters  foam 
and  bcii  in  a  fearful  manner. 

They  thunder  continually  and  when  the  wind 
blows  in  a  southerly  direction,  the  noise  which 
they  make  is  heard  for  from  more  than  fifteen 
leagues.  Four  leagues  from  this  cataract  or  fall, 
the  Niagara  river  rushes  with  extraordinary 
rapidity  especially  for   two  leaguesf    into  Lake 

*  Six  hundred  in  Margry  i,  p.  441.  Tonty  in  his  Relation 
(Margry  i,  p.  577),  estimates  it  at  500  The  Nouvelle 
Decouv.,  has  600,  p.  45.  Charlevoix  (iii,  p.  233)  supposed 
they  counted  the  three  ascents  they  had  to  make  to  reach  the 
river  above.  Is  may  be  too  that  this  estimate  is  of  the  whole 
descent  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Ontario,  which  is  about  350 
feet.     For  Hennepin's  fuller  description,  see  Appendix. 

f  As  far  as  the  Great  Rock.  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  45.  It  adds 
that  in  the  second  two  leagues  the  impetuosity  diminishes. 
Vessels  from  Lake  Ontario  could  ascend  to  this  rock  which 
was  in  the  river  on  the  west  side. 


i 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


IZ 


Frontenac.  It^=  is  during  these  two  leagues 
that  goods  are  carried.  There  is  a  very  fine  road, 
very  little  wood,  and  almost  all  prairies  mingled 
with  some  oaks  and  firs,  on  both  banks  of  the 
river,  which  are  of  a  height  that  inspire  fear 
when  you  look  down. 

It  is  at  the  mouth  of  Lake  Frontenac,  that  a 
fort  was  begun,  which   might  have  been  able  to 
keep  the   Iroquois   in   check  and   especially  the 
Tsonnontonans,f  the  most  numerous  and    most 
powerful  of  all,  and  prevent  the  trade  which  they 
carry  on  with  the  English  and  Dutch,  for  quan- 
tities of  furs  which    they  are  obliged   to  seek  in 
the  western  countries,  and  pass  by  Niagara  going 
and  coming,  where  they  might  be  stopped  in  a 
friendly  way  in  time  of  peace,  and   by  force  in 
time  of  war  ;  but  the  Iroquois  excited  by  some 
persons   envious  of  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  took 
umbrage,  so  that  as  they  were  not  in  a  position 
to  resist  them,   they  contented  themselves  with 

*  Not  in  Margry  i,  p.  442,  down  to  "  look  down." 
t  Tsonnontouans,  that  is,  Senecas. 
9 


m 


f. 


t  : 


mam 


n 


A    DESCRIPTION 


f-  w  ■ 


':■ 


building  there  a  house  defended  by  palisades, 
which  is  called  Fort  de  Conty "''  and  the  place  is 
naturally  defensive,  and  beside  it  there  is  a  very 
fine  harbor  for  barks  to  retire  to  in  security. 
There  is  also  a  very  abundant  fishery  of  several 
kinds  of  fish,  among  others  of  white  fish,  admira- 
bly good  and  with  which  you  might  supply  one 
of  the  best  cities  in  Europe. 

The  great  Fall  of  the  River  Niagara,  compelled 
him  also  to  build  his  bark  two  leagues  above 
it,  and  six  leagues  from  the  mouth  of  this  river. 
But  ■{■  before  beginning  it,  the  Sieur  de  la  Motte 
had  orders  to  take  his  precautions  and  go  to  the 
great  village  of  the  Tsonnontouans  Iroquois,  to 
endeavor  to  dispel  the  umbrage  which  these  en- 
vious men  had  already  unpressed  on  their  minds, 
in  regard  to  all  our  proceedings,  and  as  I  was 
laboring  to  build  a  cabin  of  the  bark  of  trees 
which  was  to  serve  me  as  a  house  and  chapel,|"  to 

*  After  "palisades"  omitted  in  Margry  down  to  "Europe." 
The  Nouv.  Decouv.,  says  that  the  fort  was  on  the  east  side, 
p.  48. 

f  The  account  of  LaMotte  and  Hennepin's  mission  is  given 
briefly  in  Margry   r,  442-3. 

I  Supply  "  I  had  orders." 


^ 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


7.5 


say  the  same  thing  to  our  people.  The  Sieur  de 
la  Motte  begged  me  to  accompany  him  to  the 
Iroquois,  and  during  the  whole  time  of  his  em- 
bassy ;  I  beirged  him  to  leave  me  with  the  greatest 
number  of  our  men.  He  answered  me  that  he 
was  taking  seven  with  him,  that  I  knew  some- 
thing of  the  language,  and  of  the  customs  of  the 
Iroquois,  that  these  Indians  had  seen  me  at  Fort 
Frontenac  at  the  council  which  the  Governor  of 
the  country  had  held  with  them  ;'^  that  the  King's 
service  required  it,  and  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle's 
especially,  that  he  could  not  trust  those  whom  he 
was  taking.  All  these  reasons  compelled  me  to 
follow  himf  through  the  woods,  on  a  march  of 
thirty-two    leagues,  over    ground    covered    with 


;es 
to 


/en 


*  Hennepin  has  already  said  that  Frontenac  went  up  to 
Fort  Frontenac  with  La  Salle.  This  may  have  been  in  1677, 
as  he  was  there  in  September  (Margry  i,  p.  296;)  but  we 
have  no  details  of  any  council. 

t  Tonty  mentions  Hennepin's  accompanying  la  Motte,  Re- 
lation ecrite  de  Quebec  14  Nov.,  1684,  Margry  i,  p.  576. 
Margry  oddly  misprints  embuscade  for  ambassade.  Tonty's 
Memoir  is  so  brief  as  to  all  this  that  we  need  not  refer  to  it. 
See  translation  in  French's  Louisiana  Hist.  Coll.  i,  p.  52. 


^WHWi 


76 


A    DESCRIPTION 


¥- 


i 


i 
k 


snow.  We  all  carried  our  blankets  with  our  little 
equipage,  often  passing  the  night  in  the  open  air, 
and  as  we  had  only  some  little  bags  of  roast 
Indian  corn,  we  met  on  the  way  Iroquois  hunters 
who  gave  us  some  venison  and  fifteen  or  sixteen 
black  squirrels  very  good  to  eat.  After  live  days 
march  we  arrived  at  Tegarondies,"'''  a  great  village 
of  the  TsonnontoUans  Iroquois,  and  as  our  French- 
men were  then  well  supplied  with  arms  and  fine 
clothes,  the  Indians  led  us  to  the  cabin  of  the 
great  chief  where  all  the  women  and  children 
came  to  look  at  us,  and  after  the  cries  made  in 
the  village  by  a  sachem,  according  to  the  maxim 
of  the  Indians,  the  next  day  after  the  mass  and 
sermon  of  New  Year's  Day,  1679,^  forty-two 
Iroquois  old  men  appeared  in  the  council  with  us, 
and  although  these  Indians  who  are  almost  all 
large  men,  were  merely  wrapped  in  robes  of 
beaver  or  wolf  skins,  and  some  in  black  squirrel 

*  On  Boughton  Hill  near  Victor  in  Ontario  Co.,  Marshall, 
Building  of  the  Griffon,  p.  260.  New  York  Col.  Doc,  iii, 
p.  251. 

t  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  81  says  he  preached  in  the  little  bark 
chapel,  Fathers  Garnier  and  Rafeix,  being  present. 


i 


11! 


* 

ss 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


n 


1. 


skins,  often  with  a  pipe  in  the  mouth,  no  senator 
of  Venice  ever  assumed  a  graver  countenance  or 
spoke  with  more  weight  than  the  Iroquois  sachems 
in  their  assemblies. 

One  of  our  men  named  Anthony  Brassart  who 
served  as  interpreter,  told  them  that  we  came  to 
visit  them  in  the  name  of  Onnontio  (which  is 
the  name  that  all  the  Indians  give  the  Gover- 
nors of  the  French),  and  to  smoke  their  calumets 
on  their  mat ;  that  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  their 
friend,  was  going  to  build  a  great  wooden  canoe, 
to  go  and  seek  goods  in  Europe  by  a  shorter  way 
than  that  by  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  in 
order  to  supply  them  with  them  at  a  cheaper  rate. 
He  added  several  other  reasons*  to  facilitate  our 
enterprise  and  we  gave  them  in  the  name  of  the 
whole  nation,  about  four  hundred  livres  worth  of 
goods  according  to  the  usage  of  this  country, 
where  the  best  reasons  are  never  listened  to,  if 
they  are  not  accompanied  by  presents. 

The  Sieur  de  la  Motte  before  beginning  the 

*  They    promised    to    keep    a    blacksmith    and    armorer   at 
Niagara  to  mend  their  guns  and  axes.     Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  84. 


t 

I 


,,i 


I    . 


^^    ! 


78 


A    ORSCRIPTION 


speech  told  the  Iroquois,  that  he  would  not  speak 
to  them  till  they  had  caused  a  Frenchman*  who 
was  suspicious  to  him,  to  leave  the  council.  The 
old  men  begged  him  to  withdraw  and  that  he 
should  not  receive  the  whole  aftVont,  tor  having 
presented  himself  at  an  assembly  to  which  he  had 
not  been  invited,  I  went  out  with  him  to  keep 
him  company,  dispensing  myself  on  the  first  day 
from  the  matters  laid  before  the  Iroquois.  The 
following  day  the  Iroquois  replied  to  our  pre- 
sents, article  by  article.  They  put  little  sticks  on 
the  ground  to  recollect  all  that  had  been  told  them, 
and  at  each  reply  the  maker  of  the  harangue  held 
one  of  the  little  sticks  in  his  hand,  and  threw  down 
to  us  in  the  midst  of  the  assemblage,  some  white 
and  black  wampum,  which  was  strung  ;  and  at 

*  The  Nouvellc  Decouv.  says  that  this  was  the  Jesuit  Father 
Gamier,  and  that  Hennepin  left  to  show  the  Sieur  de  la  Motte 
that  he  had  no  business  to  bring  him  to  the  Council  when  he 
intended  to  offer  an  affront  of  that  kind  to  a  Jesuit  missionary 
*'  who  was  among  these  Indians  only  to  instruct  them  in  the 
truths  of  the  gospel,"  p.  86.  LaMotte  in  a  letter  (Margry  ii,  p. 
g),  gives  a  brief  account  of  what  he  did.  La  Salle  complains 
of  La  Motte's  unfaithfulness  and  appeals  to  Hennepin, 
Margry  ii,  p.  230. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


79 


each  present  from  the  first  to  the  last,  one  of  the 
sachems  having  hegiin  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  all 
together  ended  the  last  syllable  three  times  by  a 
tone  coming  from  the  very  pit  of  the  stomach, 
"Niaova,"  which  means,  "See,  that  is  good,  I 
thank  you."' 

All  the  reasons  that  we  gave  the  Iroquois,  sat- 
isfied   them  only  in    appearance,  for   entire  in- 
difl^erence  to  everything  is  a  maxim  with  these 
Indians;  and  a  man  among  them  would  pass  for 
an  ill  regulated  mind,  if  he  did  not  agree  to  every- 
thing, and  if  he  contradicted  the  arguments  made 
to  them  in  council ;  even  though  one  should  go 
so  far  as  to  utter  the  greatest  absurdities  and  non- 
sense, they    will    always   say    "  Niaova."     "  See 
that  is  right  my  brother,  you  are  right,"  but  they 
believe  only  what  they  please  in  private.     The 
greatest  part  of  the  Indians,  of  all  those  whom  I 
have  examined  carefully,  show  that  the  indiffer- 
ence which  they  entertain  for  all  the  maxims  of 
our  Christian  religion,  as  for  everything  else  is 
the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  faith  which  I  have 
known  among  these  Savages. 


mi 


N 


|: 


I 


1 

1/  T 


( 


80 


A     DESCRIPTION 


I 


On  the  last  day  of  our  assembly,  the  Iroquois 
warriors  brought  in  a  slave  whom  they  had  taken 
from  the  Hontouagaha,  which  signifies  in  their 
language  the  Stammerers  or  great  talkers  ;•'  and 
I  think  that  the  Neros  and  Maximins  have  never 

*  Ontwagaiiiiha     from    Atw.iganncn,     to  speak  a    toieigii 
language,  Bruyas,  Racines  Agnicres  p.  40;   French  Mk.  Dictv. 
It  is  applied  to  the  Maskoutens,  Rel.  1660,  p.  7-,  to  the  Shawnees 
Rel.    1672,    p.    25;  and    is    now    the   Mohawk  term   for  the 
Ottawas,  Mr.  Marcoux  in  Hist.  Mag.  iv,  p    369. 

In  the  Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  go,  he  mentions  a  second  prisoner. 
"The  other  was  of  the  nation  of  the  Ganniessinga  near  whom 
there  were  English  Recollect  missionaries.  The  Iroquois  spared 
the  latter."  No  Franciscan  mission  in  Maryland  of  that  date 
was  known  till  recently.  I  showed  this  to  the  Very  Rev. 
Pamphilo  de  Magliano,  Provincial  of  the  Recollects  in  tliis 
rountry  as  a  specimen  of  Hennepin's  misstatements.  In  a  visit 
to  Europe  he  discovered  some  documents  of  the  old  Franciscan 
province  in  England,  including  the  record  of  the  annual  chapters 
and  they  showed  the  sending  of  missionaries  of  the  oider  to 
Maryland  from  Oct.  1672  to  Sept.  1720.  Facts  that  have 
since  came  to  light  convince  me  that  the  Franciscans  extended 
their  labors  into  Pennsylvania,  and  that  Hennepin  was  correct. 
Up  to  this  point  Hennepin's  narrative  is  of  what  Hennepin  saw 
and  La  Salle  did  not  see.  To  pretend  as  Margry  does  that  the 
La  Salle  Relation,  he  gives,  is  the  original  and  that  Hennepin 
plagiarized  from  a  man  who  did  not  see,  an  account  of  what  he 
himself  did  see,  is  about  as  absurd  an  idea  as  ever  entered  the 
mind  of  man. 


lit 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


8i 


found  out  greater  cruelty  to  exercise  the  patience 
of  the  martyrs,  than  the  torments  which  the 
Iroquois  make  their  enemies  undergo.  And  as 
we  saw  that  their  children  each  cut  a  hit  of  flesh 
from  the  prisoner,  whom  their  parents  had  put 
to  death  with  unheard  of  cruelties,  and  that  these 
little  cannibals  ate  the  flesh  of  this  man  before 
our  eyes,  we  withdrew  from  the  chief's  cabin, 
and  would  no  longer  eat  there,  and  we  retraced 
our  steps  across  the  forests  to  the  Niagara  river. 
The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  -^  had  come  there  in  a 
bark,  from  Fort  Frontenac  to  bring  us  some  pro- 
visions, and  rigging  to  equip  a  vessel  at  the  en- 
trance of  Lake  Conty  ;  but  that  in  which  he 
had  come  with  merchandize,  was  wrecked  by 
the  fault  of  two  opposing  pilots  on  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Frontenac,  ten  leagues  from  Nia- 
gara, near  a  place  which  the  sailors  have  named 
"Cap  Enrage."!     They  succeeded  in  saving  the 

*  Margry  i,  p.  442,  gives  this  more  briefly.  Hennepin, 
Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  92,  says  that  La  Motte  and  he  reached  their 
cabin  at  Niagara  Jan.  14,  and  011  the  20th  he  heard  La  Salle's 
voice  on  the  bank  on  which  he  was. 

t  Mr.    Marshall    thinks   Cap    Enrage    to   be 


Point. 


irty 


M 


lie 


& ' 


I      i 


82 


A     DESCRIPTION 


anchors  and  cables  of  the  vessel.  He  also  lost 
some  canoes  with  a  good  deal  of  merchandize, 
and  had  several  reverses,  which  frequently  would 
have  made  any  one  but  him,  abandon  the  under- 
taking.* 

After  he  had  given  his  orders  and  transferred 
the  workmen  to  the  shipyard,  which  was  above 
the  great  Fall  of  Niagara, j-  in  order  to  build  a 

*  He  adds  here  in  the  Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  94,  that  La  Salle 
told  them  that  he  had  visited  the  Senecas  before  the  loss  of  his 
bark  and  had  gained  their  consent  to  his  enterprise.  This  is 
confirmed  by  Tonty  in  Margry  i,  p.  576,  although  in  the  Rela- 
tion which  we  are  asked  to  accept  as  La  Salle's,  this  personal 
fact  is  omitted.  According  to  Tonty  La  Salle  landed  in  a  canoe 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  Senecas,  went  to  their  village 
and  then  kept  on  by  land  to  the  Niagara.  La  Salle  in  a  letter 
(Margry  ii,  p.  35)  mentions  his  visit  to  the  Senecas. 

t  The  site  of  the  stocks  where  the  Griffin  was  built  was 
fixed  at  various  points  by  Bancroft,  Sparks,  Cass,  Schoolcraft 
and  others.  O.  H.  Marshall  examining  the  matter  by  the 
light  of  documents  and  topography,  decides  it  to  have  been  at 
the  mouth  of  Cayuga  creek,  on  the  American  side.  Building 
of  the  Griffon,  p.  ^64,  Hennepin  says  in  the  Nouv.  Dec.  p. 
94.  "The  fort  we  were  building  at  Niagara  began  to  advance; 
but  there  was  so  much  underhand  work  that  this  fort  became  an 
object  of  suspicion  to  these  Indians.  We  had  to  suspend  its 
erection  for  a  time,  and  we  contented  ourselves  with  building  a 


OF    LOUISIANA.  87 

second  bark,  being  anxious,  he  returned  to  Fort 
Frontenac.  He  undertook  this  march  of  more 
than  eighty  leagues  by  land  and  on  foot,  with  a 
little  bag  of  roast  Indian  corn,  and  that  even 
failed  him  two  days  march  from  the  fort,  where 
nevertheless  he  arrived  safely,  with  a  dog  which 
dragged  his  little  baggage  over  the  ice.J 

The  greater  part  of  the  Iroquois  had  gone  to 

house  there  surrounded  by  palisades."  (This  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  ridge  on  the  side  of  Lewiston).  "  On  the  22d 
(Jany.  1679),  we  proceeded  to  a  point  two  leagues  above  the 
great  falls  of  Niagara.  There  we  put  up  stocks  to  build  the 
vessel  we  needed  for  our  voyage.  We  could  not  construct  it  in 
a  more  convenient  place  than  near  a  river,  which  descended 
into  the  strait,  which  is  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  great 
fall."  The  mouth  of  Cayuga  creek  is  five  miles  above  the  falls 
on  the  American  side,  and  be.ng  covered  by  an  island  is  well  adapted 
for  ship  building  and  has  been  so  used  by  our  government.  Fran- 
quelin's  maps  of  1688,  and  1689,  note  the  spot  on  the  American 
side  just  above  the  falls.  "  Cabane  ou  le  Sr.  de  la  Salle  a  fait 
faire  une  barque."  "  Chantier  ou  le  Sr.  de  la  Salle  a  ft.  fre.  une 
barque,"  Marshall  p.  268.  Hennepin  adds  in  the  Nouv.  Dec, 
that  the  keel  was  all  ready  on  the  26th,  and  that  La  Salle 
wished  him  to  drive  the  first  bolt,  but  he  modestly  dechned. 

X  He  was  accompanied  to  Lake  Ontario  by  Tonty  and  set 
out  after  laying  out  the  plan  of  Fort  Conty  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Feb.  i.  Tonty  in  Margry  i,  p.  577.  !„  the 
Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  96,  Hennepin  says  he  accompanied  him. 


8+ 


A    DESCRIPTION 


t 


I 

L     1       t 


'    } 


war  beyond  Lake  Conty  during  the  construction 
of  our  bark,  but  although  their  absence  ren- 
dered those  who  remained,  less  insolent,  never- 
theless, they  did  not  fail  to  come  frequently  to 
our  shipyard,  where  they  were  working  on  the 
vessel,  and  to  manifest  their  displeasure,  but  one 
of  them  pretending  to  be  drunk  wished  to  kill 
the  blacksmith,  but  the  resistance  of  the  French 
and  the  preparations  which  they  made  to  repulse 
the  Iroquois,  and  the  reproach  which  I  made  to 
these  savages,  compelled  them  to  withdraw 
quietly.  Some  time  after  a  woman  warned  us 
that  they  wished  to  set  the  bark  on  fire  on  the 
stocks,  and  they  would  have  done  so,  had  we  not 
kept  a  very  strict  watch. 

These  frequent  alarms,  fear  of  running  out  of 
provisions,  after  the  loss  of  the  bark  from  Fort 
Frontenac,  and  the  refusal  of  the  Tsonnontouans 
Iroquois  to  give  us  Indian  corn  on  our  paying 
for   it,    astonished    our    carpenters,*    who    were 

*  Down  to  "  our  subsistance  "  not  in  Margry  which  says 
"  They  would  infallibly  have  deserted  if  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
and  Father  Louis  had  not  taken  care  to  reassure  them  and  en- 
couraged them  to  work  with  greater  diligence  to  shake  off"  this 
uneasiness." 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


85 


moreover  suborned  and  solicited  to  leave  us,  by 
a  dissolute,  fellow  who  had  made  several  attempts 
to  go  over  to  the  Dutch.  He  would  beyond 
doubt  have  seduced  our  workmen,  if  I  had  not 
reasHired  them,  by  the  exhortations  I  made  them, 
after  divine  service  on  holidays  and  Sundays,  show- 
ing them  that  our  enterprise  had  in  view  purely 
God's  glory,  the  good  of  the  French  colony  and 
their  honor ;  in  this  way  I  animated  them  to 
labor  more  diligently  to  banish  these  disouiets. 
Moreover  the  orders  which  they  saw  me  give  the 
Indians  of  the  Wolf*  nation  to  supply  us  with 
deer  for  our  subsistance,  made  them  pick  up 
courage  again,  so  that  by  applying  themselves 
with  more  assiduity  to  their  work,  our  bark 
was  in  a  short  time  ready  to  be  launched,  and 
having  blessed  it  with  the  ceremonies  prescribed 
by  the  Church,  it  was  launched  into  the  water, 
although  it  was  not  yet  entirely  finished,  in  order 
to  secure  it  from  the  fire  with  which  it  was 
threatened-! 

*  Mohegans. 

i  Nouv,  Decouv.,  pp.  96-9. 


86 


A    DESCRIPTION 


V; 


\l. 


Ill 


■■1 
■J 

:"■' 


It  was  named  the  Griffin.*  We  fired  three 
salutes  with  our  cannons,  and  sang  the  Te  Deum 
in  thanksgiving,  which  was  followed  by  several 
"  Vive  le  Roy." 

The  Iroquois  who  stood  wondering  at  this 
ceremony,  shared  in  our  rejoicing.  A  glass  of 
brandy  was  given  to  all  of  them  to  drink,  as  well 
as  to  the  French. 

From  this  time  we  left  our  bark  cabins  to 
lodge  in  the  vessel  on  water,  where  we  slept  in 
repose,  and  safe  from  insults  of  the  Indians.  The 
Iroquois  on  returning  from  their  beaver  hunt 
were  extremely  surprised.  They  said  that  the 
French  were  spirits  f  and  they  could  not  under- 
stand how  they  had  been  able  to  build  in  so  short 
a  time  and  with   such  ease  so   large  a  wooden 


*  "  In  allusion  to  the  arms  of  the  Count  de  Frontenac  which 
have  griffins  as  supporters."  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  99,  which  adds 
*'  moreover  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  had  often  said  of  this  vessel 
that  he  wished  to  make  the  griffin  soar  above  the  crows." 

f  Otkon  in  the  Nouv.  Decouv.  Hennepin  derives  his  Iro- 
quois mainly  from  Bruyas'  Racines  Agnieres,  and  makes 
the  Senecas  use  the  Mohawk  dialect.  See  Marshall,  p.  278, 
Parkman,  Discovery,  p.  123. 


1 


mmmm 


OF    LOUISIANA.  87 

canoe,  although  this  vessel  was  only  of  about 
forty-five  tons  and  which  we  might  call  an  am- 
bulant fort,  and  which  made  all  the  Indians 
tremble,  who  extend  over  more  than  five  hundred 
leagues  of  country.* 

Meanwhile  the  envious  seeing  the  bark  fin- 
ished,   notwithstanding  the    difficulty   of   trans- 
porting the  rigging  across  so  many  rapids  and  the 
opposition  of  the  Iroquois,  published  that  it  was 
a   rash  enterprise,  that  we  would    never   return, 
and   many  other   things  of  the  kind.     By  this 
talk  they  roused   up  all   the  Sieur  de  la  Salle's 
creditors,  who  without  consenting   to   await  his 
return,    and    without    warning    him,    seized    all 
his  property  that  he  had   in    Montreal   and   in 
Quebec,  even  to  his  secretary's  bed,  and  they  had 
it  adjudged  to  them  at  such  price  as  they  chose, 
although     Fort    Frontenac     of    which    he     is 
proprietor  was  alone  enough  to  pay  all  his  debts 
twice  told  and  more. 

§  The  Margry  Rel.  give  all  this  briefly  omitting  the  blessing 
of  the  vessel  and  even  its  name,  which  La  Salle  would  scarcely 
do.  Hennepin  in  his  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  loi,  here  states  that 
Tonty  took  offense  at  his  keeping  a  journal  and  tried  to  seize  it. 


'U 


il 


I  'i 


:ii 


88 


A    DESCRIPTION 


He  was  then  at  Fort  Frontenac,  where  he 
received  tidings  of  these  disorders,  but  as  he 
deemed  this  misfortune  past  help,  and  that  they 
had  no  other  design  than  to  compel  him  to  forego 
an  expedition,  of  which  he  nad  made  the  pre- 
parations with  such  pains  and  cost,  he  gave  what 
orders  he  deemed  necessary  at  the  fort.-^ 

Our  boat  being  in  the  water  out  of  reach  of 
insult,  I  proceeded  to  the  fort  by  Lake  Frontenac, 
in  the  little  brigantine  f  in  order  to  rejoin  our 

*  The  Margry  relation  instead  ot  the  following  merely  states 
that  La  Salle  returned  to  Niagara  early  in  August,  1679.  In 
the  Nouv.  Dec.,  Hennepin  here  claims  to  have  twice  ascended 
the  Niagara  to  Lake  Erie  in  a  canoe,  p.  ic?. 

f  Tonty  says  he  sent  Father  Hennepin  with  1 1  men.  Margry, 
I  p.  578.  Hennepin  in  the  Nouv.  Dec.  p.  104,  says  he  went 
with  the  Sieur  Charon,  a  Canadian.  They  descended  the 
Niagara  in  a  canoe  making  a  portage  at  the  falls.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  river  they  embarked  in  the  brigantine  under  the 
Sieur  de  la  Forest.  They  took  on  board  a  number  of  Indian 
women  and  ran  along  to  Aoueguen  where  they  bought  beaver 
skins  for  liquor,  then  ran  across  to  Kente  and  landed  on  Gull 
Island.  Le  Clercq,  Etablissement  de  la  Foy,  2  p.  145,  says  that 
the  Commissary  of  the  Recollects  went  up  to  Fort  Frontenac, 
to  organize  the  projected  mission,  and  made  F.  Gabriel  de  la 
Ribourde,  Superior,  stationing  F.  Luke  Buisset  at  Fort  Fron- 
tenac, F.  Melithon  Watteau  at  Niagara. 


— ««M.n>«iW>n*j>'«' 


OK    LOUISIANA. 


89 


Recollects  who  resided  there,  in  order  to  enjoy 
spiritual  consolation  with  them,  obtain  wine  for 
the  celebration  of  masses,  and  make  the  Sieur  de 
la  Salle  a  report  of  affairs,  and  we  proceeded  with 
him,"'"  we  three  Recollect  missionaries,  to  Niagara, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  August  in  the 
same  year,  1679.  He  found  his  bark  ready  to 
sail,  but  his  people  told  him  that  they  had  not 
been  able  to  make  it  ascend  beyond  the  entrance 
of  Lake  Conty,  not  having  been  able  to  stem  with 
sails  the  strong  current  of  Niagara  river.f     We 

*  The  Nouv.  Decouv.  mentions  La  Salle's  assembling 
the  missionaries,  iennepin,  Ribourde,  Membre  and  Watteau, 
May  27,  1679,  anc  his  grant  of  land  for  their  residence  and  ceme- 
tery.    They  reached  the  Niagara  July  (June)  30. 

Tonty  confirms  this.  Margry  i,  p.  578.  The  Nouv.  Decouv, 
says  they  found  the  Griffin  anchored  a  league  from  Lake  Erie, 
p.  112. 

t  The  Nouvelle  Dec.  goes  into  details,  describing  the 
vessel  with  its  flag  bearing  a  Griffin  and  an  Eagle  above  it. 
He  returned  to  Lake  Ontario  July,  16-17,  ^"'^  ^he  bark  from 
Frontenac  went  up  to  the  Great  Rock,  where  the  poitage  was 
made.  All  the  anchors,  rigging  and  arms  were  carried  around 
the  falls.  Father  Gabriel  toiled  up  the  rocky  path  in  spite  of 
his  age  and  with  Hennepin  and  La  Salle  visited  the  falls.  La 
10 


90 


A    DESCRIPTION 


I!  I 


embarked  to  the  number  of  thirty-two  persons, 
with  our  two  Recollect  Fathers  who  had  come 
to  join  me,  our  people  having  laid  in  a  good 
supply  of  arms,  merchandise,  and  seven  small  iron 
cannon. 

At  last,  contrary  to  the  pilot's  opinion  we  suc- 
ceeded in  ascending  Niagara  river.  He  made 
his  bark  advance  by  sails  when  the  wind  was 
strong  enough,  and  he  had  it  towed  in  the  most 
difficult  places,  and  thus  we  happily  reached  the 
entrance  of  Lake  Conty. 

We  made  sail  the  7th  of  the  month  of  August, 
in  the  same  year  1679,  steering  west  by  south. 
After;};  the  "  Te  Deum  "  we  fired  all  the  cannon 
and  wall  pieces,  in  presence  of  several  Iroquois 
warriors  who  were  bringing  in  prisoners  from§ 

Salle  tried  to  make  Hennepin  acknowledge  having  criticized  the 
Jesuits,  pp.  1 1 2-6,  La  Salle  set  men  to  clear  ground  near  his 
post  for  cultivation,  Father  Melithon  Watteau  was  left  as 
chaplain.  Divine  service  was  oftered  on  the  Griffin,  the  people 
joining  in  from  the  shore,  pp.  118-9. 

X  Rest  of  the  paragraph  not  in  Margry. 

§  Tintonha,  that  is  to  say  the  Nation  of  the  Prairies,  Nouv. 
Dec.  p.  I20. 


hf   i 


r     ■ 


OF     LOUISIANA.  ^I 

the  nations  on  the  prairies,  situated  more  than  five 
hundred  leagues  from  their  country,  and  these 
savages  did  not  neglect  to  give  a  description  of 
the  size  of  our  vessel  to  the  Dutch  of  New  Yjrk  * 
with  whom  the  Iroquois  carry  on  a  great  trade  in 
furs,  which  they  carry  to  them  i'j  order  to  obtain 
fire  arms  and  goods  to  clothe  themselves. 

Our  voyage  was  so  fortunatef  that  on  the 
morning  of  the  tenth  day,  the  feast  of  Saint 
Lawrence,  we  reached  the  entrance  of  the  De- 
troit (strait)  by  which  Lake  Orleans  empties  into 
Lake  Conty,  and  which  is  one  hundred  leagues 
distant  from  Niagara  river.  This  strait  is  thirty 
leagues  long  and  almost  everywhere  a  league  wide, 
except  in  the  middle  where  it  expands  and  forms 
a  lake  of  circular  form,  and  ten  leagues  in  diame- 

*  See  Andros  to  Blathwayt,  N.  Y.  Col.  Doc.  iii,  278. 

t  The  Nouv.  Dec.  says  they  ran  20  leagues  the  first  night. 
On  the  8th,  45  leagues,  almost  always  in  sight  of  land,  the  lake 
being  15  or  16  leagues  wide.  He  mentions  three  point's  running 
out  into  the  lake,  the  first  and  largest  of  which  he  named  St. 
Francis  (Long  Point,  Marshall,  p.  280).  On  the  9th  they 
passed  the  other  two  points  and  saw  an  island  at  the  mouth  of 
the  strait,  sev^n  or  eight  leagues  from  the  north  shore,  pp.  12 1-2 


1 


i' 


92 


A    DESCRIPTION 


■    •' 


ter,  which  we  called  Lake  St.  Clare,  on  account 
of  our  passing  through  it,  on  that  Saint's  day. 

The  country  on  both  sides  of  this  beautiful 
strait  is  adorned  with  fine  open  plains,  and  you 
can  see  numbers  of  stags,  does,  deer,  bears,  by  no 
means  fierce  and  and  very  good  toeat,  poules  d'inde''' 
and  all  kinds  of  game,  swans  in  abundance.  Our 
guys  were  loaded  and  decked  with  several 
wild  animals  cut  up,  which  our  Indian  and  our 
Frenchmen  killed.  The  rest  of  the  strait  is  cov- 
ered with  forests,  fruit  trees  like  walnuts,  chest- 
nuts, plum  and  apple  trees,  wild  vines  loaded  with 
grapes,  of  which  we  made  some  little  wine. 
There  is  timber  fit  for  building.  Itf  is  the  place 
in  which  deer  most  delight. 

We  found  the  current  at  the  entrance  of  this 
strait  as  strong  as  the  tide  is  before  Rouen.  We 
ascended  it  nevertheless,  steering  north  and  north- 
east, as  far  as  Lake  Orleans.  There  is  little 
depth   as  you   enter   and   leave   Lake   St.   Clare, 

*  These  are  not  hen  turkeys,  >s  some  have  rendered  it,  nor 
prairie  hens,  but  evidetitly  water  fowl.  Charlevoix  iii,  p.  156; 
Lemoine,  Ornithologie  du  Canada,  p.  75. 

t  This  sentence  not  in  iVIargry.  The  Nouv.  Dec,  says  he 
tried  to  induce  La  Salle  to  establish  a  post  here. 


OF    LOUISIANA, 


93 


especially  as  you  leave  It.  The  discharge  from 
Lake  Orleans  divides  at  this  place  into  several 
small  channels,  almost  all  harred  by  sand- 
banks. We  were  obliged  to  sound  them  all, 
and  at  last  discovered  a  very  fine  one,  with  a 
depth  of  at  least  two  or  three  fathoms  of  water, 
and='=  almost  a  league  wide  at  all  points.  Our 
bark  was  detained  here  several  days  by  head 
winds  and  this  difficulty  having  been  surmounted, 
we  encountered  a  still  greater  one  at  the  entrance 
of  Lake  Orleans,  the  north  wind  which  had  been 
blowing  some  time  rather  violently,  and  which 
drives  the  waters  of  the  three  great  lakes  into  the 
strait,  had  so  increased  the  ordinary  current  the  e, 
that  it  was  as  furious  as  the  bore  is  before  Caude- 
bec.f  We  could  not  stem  it  under  sail,  although 
we  were  then  aided  by  a  strong  south  wind; 
but  as  the  shore  was  very  fine,  we  landed  twelve 
of  our  men  who   towed  it  along   the  beach   for 

*  Here  Margry  inserts  "  beyond  the  sand  bars." 
t  Gravier  refers  to  this  mention  of  Caudebec  as  a  proof  that 
Hennepin  tooic  his  matter  from  La  Salle's  Report,  Decouvertes 
et  Etablissements  p.    104,  as  though   Hennepin   publishing  at 
Paris  could  not  refer  to  a  French  river. 


. 


94 


A     DESCRIPTION 


'i 


I 


i\ 


'! 


half  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  at  the  end  of  vvliich 
we  entered  Lake  Orleans'^  on  the  23d  of  the 
month  of  August,  and  for  the  second  time  we 
chanted  a  Te  Deum  in  thanksgivini^,  blessing 
God,  who  here  brought  us  in  sight  of  a  great  bi>v-j- 
in  this  lake,  where  our  ancient  Rccoile:'  t  ' 
resided  to  instruct  the  Hurons  in  the  faith,  ii.  •'  „ 
first  landing  of  the  PVench  in  Canada,  and  these 
Indians  once  very  numerous  have  been  for  the 
most  part  destroyed  by  the  Iroquois/}; 

The  same  day  the  bark  ran  along  the  east  coast 
of  the  lake,  with  a  fair  wind,  heading  north  by 
cast,  till  evening  when  the  wind  having  shifted 
to  southwest  with  great  violence,  we  headed 
northwest,  and  the  next  day  we  found  ourselves 
in  sight  of  land,  having  crossed  by  night  a  great 
bay,  called  Sakinam,^  which  sets  in  more  than 
thirty  leagues. 

On  the  24th  we  continued  to  head  northwest 

*  Margry  omits  from  here  to  "  Iroquois." 

f  Georgian  Bay. 

J  Nouv.  Dec.  pp.  128-9. 

§  Saginaw  Bay. 


1 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


95 


till  evening,  when  Me  were  becalmed  among  some 
islands,  where  there  was  only  a  fathom  and  a  half 
or  two  fathoms  of  water.  We  kept  on  with  the 
lower  sails  a  part  of  the  night  to  seek  an  anchor- 
age, but  finding  none  where  there  was  a  good 
bottom  and  the  wind  beginning  to  blow  from  the 
west,  we  headed  north  so  as  to  gain  deep  water 
and  wait  for  day,  and  we  spent  the  night  in 
sounding  before  ihe  bark,  because  we  had 
noticed  that  our  pilot  was  very  negligent,  and  we 
continued  to  watch  in  this  way  during  the  rest 
of  the  voyage. 

On  the  25th  the  calm  continued  till  noon,  and 
we  pursued  our  course  to  the  northwest,  favored 
by  a  good  southerly  wind,  which  soon  changed 
to  southwest.  At  midnight  we  wore  compelled 
to  head  north  on  account  of  a  great  Point  which 
jutted  out  into  the  lake ;  but  we  had  scarcely 
doubled  it,  when  we  were  surprised  by  a  furious 
gale,  which  forced  us  to  ply  to  windward  with 
mainsail  and  foresail,  then  to  lie  to  till   daylight. 

On  the  26th  the  violence  of  the  wind  obliged 
us  to  lower  the  topmasts,  to  fasten  the  yards  at 


g6 


A    DESCRIPTFON 


the  clew,  to  remain  broadside  to  the  shore.  At 
noon  the  waves  running  too  high,  and  the 
sea  too  rough,  we  were  forced  to  seek  a  port  in 
the  evening,  but  found  no  anchorage  or  shelter. 
At  this  *  crisis,  th<;  Sieur  de  la  Salle  entered  the 
cabin,  and  quite  disheartened  told  us  that  he 
commended  his  enterprise  to  God.  We  had 
been  accustomed  all  the  voyage  to  induce  all  to 
say  morning  and  evening  prayers  together  on  our 
knees,  all  singing  some  hymns  of  the  church, 
but  as  we  could  not  stay  on  the  deck  of  the 
vessel,  on  account  of  the  storm,  all  contented 
themselves  with  making  an  act  of  contritior , 
There  was  no  one  but  our  pilot  alone,  whom  we 
were  never  able  to  persuade. 

At  this  time  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  adopted  in 
union  with  us  Saint  Anthony  of  Padua  as  the  pro- 
tector of  our  enterprises  and  he  promised  God  if 
He  did  us  the  grace  to  deliver  us  from  the 
tempest,  that  the  first  chapel  he  should  erect  in 
Louisiana  should  be  dedicated  to  that  great  Saint. 
The  wind  having  fallen  a  little  we  lay  to,  all 
*  Down  to  "great  Saint"  not  in  Margry,  i,  p.  447. 


i 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


97 


the  night  and  we  drifted  only  a  league  or  tw'o  at 
most. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  we  sailed  north- 
west with  a  southwest  wind,  which  changed 
towards  evening  into  a  light  southeast  trade  wind, 
hy  favor  of  which  we  arrived  on  the  same  day  at 
Missilimakinac/''  where  we  anchored  in  six  fathoms 
of  water  in  a  bay,  where  there  was  a  good  bottom 
of  potter's  clay.  This  bay  is  sheltered  from  south- 
west to  north,  a  sand  bank  covers  it  a  little  on 
the  northeast,!  ^^^  ^^  ^^  exposed  to  the  south 
which  is  very  violent.^ 

Missilimakinac  is  a  point  of  land  at  the  entrance 
and  north  of  the  strait,  by  which   Lake  Dauphin 

*  Derived  according  to  Bishop  Baraga,  Diet.,  p.  243,  from 
Misliinimakinago,  a  set  of  men  in  the  woods,  who  are  heard 
but  seldom  seen. 

t  Northwest,  Nouv.  Decouv. 

X  The  bay  where  the  Griffin  anchored  is  that  which  is  over- 
looked by  the  Buttes,  two  steep  and  rocky  bluffs  famous  in 
Indian  tradition  and  worshiped  by  the  Indians  who  called  them 
the  He  and  She  Rabbit.  The  former  is  also  styled  Sitting 
Rabbit  or  Rabbit's  Back,  Wabos  Namadabid.  The  Kiskakons 
Ottawas  were  here  in  1677  and  their  chapel  is  mentioned,  Rel., 
1673-9,  pp.  42,  56.       Very  Rev.  E.  Jacker. 


k 


1 

1- 

in 

y  i  1 

.1 '!  i 

i 

• 

4 

V 

: 

:        ■ 


I 


t 


I 


.!  i 


i8 


A    DESCRIPTION 


empties  into  Lake  Orleans.  This  strait  is  a  league 
wide  and  three  long,  and  runs  west  northwest.* 
Fifteen  leagues  east  of  Missilimakinac  you  find 
another  point  which  is  ai  the  entrance  of  the 
channel  by  which  Lake  Conde  empties  into 
Lake  Orleans.  This  channel  has  an  opening  of 
five  leagues,  and  is  fifteen  in  length.  It  is  inter- 
spersed with  several  islands,  and  gradually  narrows 
in  down  to  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  which  is  a  rapid 
full  of  rocks,  by  which  the  waters  of  Lake  Conde 
are  discharged  and  are  precipitated  in  a  violent 
manner.  Nevertheless  -j"  they  succeed  in  poling 
canoes  up  one  side  near  the  land,  but  for  greater 
security  a  portage  is  made  of  the  canoe  and  the 
goods  which  they  take  to  sell  to  the  nations  north 
of  Lake  Conde. 

There  are  Indian  villages  in  these  two  places; 
those  who   are  settled  at   Missilimakinac,  on  the 

♦  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  133,  has  simply  "west." 

f  These  sentences  not  in  Margry,  i,  p.  448,  with  what 
follows  down  to  "  liollowcd  out  by  fire."  "I  he  Nouv.  Decouv., 
adds  :  Those  settled  at  the  Point  of  Land  of  Michilimakinak 

are    Hurons,    and    the    others    who   are    five   or    six   arpents 
beyond  are  called  the  Outtaoiiactz. 


n 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


99 


day  of  our  arrival,  which  was  August  26th,  1 678,* 
were  all  amazed  to  see  a  ship  in  their  country, 
and  the  sound  of  the  cannon  caused  an  extraordi- 
nary alarm.  We  went  to  the  Outtaoiiactz  to  say 
mass  and  during  the  service,  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
very  well  dressed  in  his  scarlet  cloak  trimmed 
with  gold  lace,  ordered  the  arms  to  be  stacked 
along  the  chapel  f  and  the  sergeant  left  a  sentry 
there  to  guard  them.  I  he  chiefs  of  the  Outtaiio- 
actz  paid  us  their  civility  in  their  fashion,  on 
coming  out  of  the  church.  And  in  this  bay 
where  the  Griffin  was  riding  at  anchor,  we  looked 
with  pleasure  at  this  large  well  equipped  vessel, 
amid  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  twenty  bark 
canoes  coming  and  going  from  taking  white  fish,t 
*  Noiiv.  Dec,  says  28th  August,  1679. 

t  Which  was  covered  with  bark,  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  loe. 
This  chapel  is  evidently  not  the  mission  church,  nor  the  bark 
chapel  dedicated  to  St,  Francis  Borgia,  erected  in  1677,  between 
the  Kiskakons  and  the  new  Ottawa  village.  Relation  i67'i-9 
pp.  58-9,  but  the  ch..pel  at  the  KisUakon  village  near  the  Rabbit 
Buttes.  Tonty  in  Margry,  i,  p.  579,  mentions  the  two 
churches.  The  positions  of  all  these  points  has  been  made  a 
special  study  by  the  careful  antiquarian  V.  Rev.  E.  Jacker. 

I  And  trout  of  50  or  60  pounds,  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  135. 


a 


■i  t{ 


I  h 


!    H 


,, 


lOO 


A    DESCRIPTION 


which  these  Indians  catch  with  nets,  which  they 
stretch  sometimes  in  fifteen  or  twenty  fathoms 
of  water,  and  without  which  they  could  not 
subsist. 

The  Hurons  who  have  their  village  surrounded 
by  palisades  twenty-five  feet  high  and  situated  ■=' 
near  a  great  point  of  land  opposite  the  island  of 
Missilimakimac,  proved  the  next  day  that  they 
were  more  French  than  the  Outtaoiiactz,  but  it 
was  in  show,  for  they  gave  a  salute  by  discharging 
all  their  guns,  and  they  all  have  them,  and  renewed 
it  three  times,  to  do  honor  to  our  ship,  and  to  the 
French,  but  this  salute  had  been  suggested  to 
them  by  some  Frenchmen,  who  come  there,  and 
who  often  carry  on  a  very  considerable  trade  with 
these  nations,  and  who  designed  to  gain  the  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  by  this  show,  as  he  gave  umbrage 
to  them,  only  in  order  better  to  play  their 
parts  subsequently  by  making  it  known  that  the 
bark  was  going   to  be  the    cause  of  destruction 

*  Very  advantageously  on  an  eminence.  lb.,  Pointe  St. 
Ignace.  The  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  135,  er.-oneously  makes  more 
than  one  Huron  village. 


If 


a 


ii 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


lOI 


to   individuals,  in  order  to   render  the  one  who 
had  built  her  odious  to  the  people. 

The  Hurons  and  the  Ouattaouactz  form 
alliances  with  one  another  in  order  to  oppose  with 
one  accord  the  fury  of  the  Iroquois,  their  sworn 
ei  .my.  They  cultivate  Indian  corn  on  which 
they  live  all  the  year,  with  the  fish  which  they 
take  to  season  their  sagamity.  This  they  make 
of  water  and  meal  of  their  corn  which  they  crush 
with  a  pestle  in  a  trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out 
by  fire. 

The  Indians  of  Sainte  Marie  du  Long  Sault  are 
called  by  us  the  Saulteurs  on  account  of  the  place  of 
their  abode,  which  is  near  the  Sault,  and  where 
they  subsist  by  hunting  stags,  moose  or  elk,  and 
some  beaver,  and  by  the  fishing  of  white  fish, 
which  is  very  good,  and  is  found  there  in  great 
abundance,  but  this  fishery  is  very  difficult  to  all 
but  these  Indians  who  are  trained  to  it  from 
childhood.  These  latter  do  not  plant  any  Indian 
corn  as  their  soil  is  not  adapted  to  it,  and  the  fogs 
on  Lake  Conde  which  are  very  frequent,  stifie  all 
the  corn  that  they  might  be  able  to  plant. 


}'t 


102 


A    DESCRIPTION 


'ii 


9  I 


h 


Sault  St.  Marie  and  Missilimackinac  are  the 
two  most  important  passes  for  all  the  Indians  of 
the  wesi  and  north  who  go  to  carry  all  their  furs 
to  the  French  settlements  and  to  trade  every  year 
at  Montrea  with  more  than  two  hundred  loaded 
canoes.* 

During  our  stay  at  Missilmakinac,  we  were 
extremely  surprised  to  find  there  the  greater  part 
of  the  men  whom  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  had  sent 
on  ahead  to  the  number  of  fifteen,  and  whom  he 
believed  to  be  long  since  at  the  Illinois.  Those 
whom  he  had  known  as  the  most  faithful,  re- 
ported to  him  that  they  had  been  stopped  by  the 
statements  made  to  them  on  their  way  at  Missili- 
makinac ;  that  they  had  been  told  that  his  enter- 
prise was  only  chimerical,  that  the  bark  would 
never  reach  Missilimakinac,  that  he  was  sending 
them  to  certain  destruction,  and  several  other 
things  of  the  kind,  which  had  discouraged  and 
seduced  most  of  their  comrades,  and  that  they 
had  been  unable  to  induce  them  to  continue  their 

*  Sentence  not  in  Margry. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


103 


voyage ;  that  six  of  them  ^  had  even  deserted  and 
carried  ofl-more  than  3,000  livres  worth  of  goods, 
under  the  pretext  of  paying  themselves,  saying 
that  they  would  restore  the  surplus  ovtr  what 
was  due  them,  and  that  the  others  had  stupidly 
wasted  more  than  twelve  hundred  livresf  v^^orth, 
or  spent  it  for  their  support  at  Missilimakinac,' 
where  they  had  been  detained,  and  where  provis- 
ions are  very  dear. 

The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  was  all  the  more  pro- 
voked at  this  conduct  of  his  men,  as  he  had 
treated  them  well,  and  made  some  advances  to 
all.  among  the  rest  having  paid  on  account  of 
one  of  them  1200  livresj"  that  he  owed  various 
persons  at  Montreal.  He  had  four  of  the  most 
guilty  arrested  without  giving  them  any  harsher 
treatment.  Having  learned  that  two  of  the  six§ 
deserters  were  at  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  he  detached 

*  Named  Sainte  Croix,  Minime,  le   Barbier,   Poupart,  Hu- 
naut  and  Roussel  dit  la  Rousseliere,  Margry,  i,  p.  449. 
t  Maigiy  gives  the  amounts  4000  liv.,  1300  liv. 
J  La  Rousseliere,   1800  liv.     Margry,  i,  449, 
§  Hunaut  and  la  Rousseliere,  lb. 


m 


I 


104 


A    DESCRIPTION 


1'' 


I 


i 


the  Sieur  de  Tonty  with  six  men  who  arrested 
them  and  seized  all  the  goods  which  they  had  in 
their  hands,  but  he  could  not  obtain  any  justice 
as  to  the  others.  The'*^  high  winds  at  this  season 
long  retarded  the  return  of  the  Sieur  de  Tonty, 
who  did  not  reach  Missilimakinac  till  the  month 
of  November,  so  that  we  were  dreading  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  and  resolved  to  set  out  without 
waiting  till  he  arrived. 

On  the  2ndf  of  the  month  of  September,  from 
Missilimakinac  we  entered  Lake  Dauphin,  and 
arrived  at  an  island^'  situated  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Lake  or  Bay  of  the  Puants,  forty  leagues  from 
Missilimakinac,  and  which  is  inhabited  by  Indians 
of  the  Poutouatami  nation.  We  found  some 
Frenchmen  there,  who  had  been  sent  among  the 
Illinois  in  previous  years,  and  who  had  brought 
back  to  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  a  pretty  fair  amount 
of  furs.§ 

*  This  is  all  abridged  in  the  Nouy.  Dec.  pp.  138-9.  Com- 
pare Tonty,  Mcmoire,  p.  6.     La.  Hist.  Coll.  i,  p.  53. 

f  Margry  has  12th,  Le  Clercq  ii,  p.  150,  has  2nd.  Tonty 
reached  Missilimakinac  Sept.  17,  Margry  1,  p.  579. 

J  Washington  or  Pottawatamie  Island. 

§  1200  livres,  Margry  i,  p.  450.  What  follows  to  ''took 
any  one's  advice,"  is  not  in  Margry. 


HgS 


OP    LOUISIANA. 


i05 


The  chief  of  this  nation  who  had  all   possible 
affection  for   the  Count   de  Frontenac,   who  had 
entertained  him  at  Montreal,  received  us  as  well 
as  he  could,  had  the  calumet  danced  to  the  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  by  his  warriors;  and  during  four  days' 
storm  while  our  vessel  was  anchored  thirty  paces 
from  the   bay  shore,  this   Indian  chief  believing 
that    our   bark   was  going  to   be  stranded,  came 
to  join  us  in  a  canoe  at  the  risk  of  his  life  and  in 
spite  of  the  increasing  waves,  we  hoisted  him  with 
his  canoe  into  our  vessel.      He  told  us  in  a  martial 
tone  that  he  was  ready  and  wished  to  perish  with  the 
children    of    Onnontio,    the    Governor    of    the 
French,  his  good  father  and  friend. 

Contrary  to  our  opinion,  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
who  never  took  any  one's  advice,  resolved  to  send 
back  his  bark  from  this  place,*  and  to  continuf, 
his  route  by  canoe,  but  as  he  had  only  four,  he 
was  obliged  to  leave  considerable  merchandise  in 
the    bark,    a    quantity    of  utensils  and   tools  he 

*  "To  Niagara  loaded  with  all  his  furs  to  pay  his  creditors." 
Nouv.  Dec.  p.  141,  which  abridges  all  this. 
11 


uaBBsan 


'  I 


1 06 


A     DFSCRIPTION 


'1 


ordered  the  pilot  to  discharge  every  thing  at 
Missilimakinac,  where  he  could  take  them  again 
on  his  return.  He  also  put  all  the  peltries  in  the 
bark  with  a  clerk  and  five  good  sailors.  Their 
orders  were  to  proceed  to  the  great  fall  of 
Niagara,  where  they^*"  were  to  leave  the  furs,  and 
take  on  board  other  goods  which  another  bark 
from  Fort  Frontenac,  which  awaited  them  near 
Fort  Conty  was  to  bring  them,  and  that  as  soon 
as  possible  thereafter,  they  should  sail  back  to 
Missilimakinac,  where  they  would  find  instruc- 
tions as  to  the  place  to  which  they  should  bring 
the  bark  to  winter. 

They  set  sail  on  the  i8th  of  September,  with 
a  very  favorable  light  west  wind,  making  their 
adieu  by  firing  a  single  cannon ;  and  we  were 
never  afterwards  able  to  learn  what  course  they 
had  taken,  and  though  there  is  no  doubt,  but  that 
she  perished,  we  were  never  able  to  learn  any 
other  circumstances  of  their  shipwreck  than  the 
following.     The  bark   having   anchored  in   the 

*  Margry  has  "to  the  storehouse  which  he  had  built  at  the 
end  of  Lake  Erie." 


u 


m 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


107 


north  of  Lake  Dauphin,  the  pilot*  against  the 
opinion  of  some  Indians,  who  assured  him  that 
there  was  a  great  storm  in  the  middle  of  the  lake, 
resolved  to  continue  his  voyage,  without  consider- 
ing that  the  sheltered  position  where  he  lay, 
prevented  his  knowing  the  force  of  the  wind. 
He  had  scarcely  sailed  a  quarter  of  a  league  from 
the  coast,  when  these  Indians  saw  the  bark 
tossing  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  unable  to 
resist  the  tempest,  so  that  in  a  short  time  they 
lost  sight  of  her,  and  they  believe  that  she  was 
either  driven  on  some  sandbank,f  or  that  she 
foundered. 

We  did  not  learn  all  this  till  the  next  year,  and 
it  is  certain  that  the  loss  of  this  bark  costs  more 
than  40000  livres  in  goods,  tools  and  peltries  as 
well  as  men  and  rigging  which  he  had  imported 
into  Canada  from  France  and  transported  from 
Montreal    to    Fort    Frontenac    in    bark    canoes. 

*"Luke  who  was  a  malcontent  as  we  have  remarked." 
Nouv.  Dec.  pp.  142-3. 

t  Margry  has :  "  which  are  near  the  Huron  islands,  where 
she  was  swallowed  up."  The  whole  account  of  the  loss  of 
the  Griffin  is  in  La  Salle's  letter,  Margry  ii,  p.  73. 


T 


i  ! 
\  l  I 


toH 


A    DESCRIPTION 


II 


This  would  appear  impossible  to  those  who  know 
the  weakness  of  this  kind  of  craft,  and  the  weight 
of  anchors  and  cables,*  on  which  he  paid  eleven 
livres  per  hundred  pounds. 

We  set  out  the  next  day,  September    I9th,f 

with  fourteen  persons  in  four  canoes,  I  directing 
the  smallest,  loaded  with  five  hundred  pounds, 
with  a  carpenter  just  arrived  from  France,  who 
did  not  know  how  to  avoid  the  waves,  during 
rough  weather,  I  had  every  difficulty  to  manage 
this  little  craft.  These  four  bark  canoes  were 
loaded  with  a  forge  and  all  its  appurtenances, 
carpenter's,  joiner's  and  pit  sawyer's  tools,  arms 
and  merchandise. 

We  took  our  course  southerly  towards  the 
mainland  four  good  leagues  distant  from  the 
island  of  the  Poutouatamis.|*  In  the  middle  of 
the  traverse  and  amid  the  most  beautiful  ca!m 
in  the  world,  a  storm  arose  which  endangered 
our   lives,    and    which    made    us    fear    for    the 

*  The  rest  not  in  Margry. 

t  Le  Clercq  who  abridges  the  voyage  says  i8th. 

I  Still  called  Pottawatomie  Island. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


109 


bark.^*"  and  more  for  ourselves.  We  com- 
pleted this  great  passage  amid  the  darkness  of 
night,  calling  to  one  another  so  as  not  to  part 
company.  The  water  often  entered  our  canoes, 
and  the  impetuous  wind  lasted  four  days  with  a 
fury  like  the  greatest  tempests  of  ocean.  We 
nevertheless  reached  the  shore  in  a  little  sandy 
bay,  and  stayed  rive  days,  waiting  for  the  lake  to 
grow  calm.  During  this  stay,  the  Indian  hunter 
who  accompanied  us,  killed  while  hunting  only 
a  single  porcupine  which  served  to  season  our 
squashes  and  the  Indian  corn  that  we  had. 

On  the  25th  we  continued  our  route  all  day, 
and  a  part  of  the  night  favored  by  the  moon, 
along  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Dauphin,  but 
the  wind  coming  up  a  little  too  strong,  we  were 
forced  to  land  on  a  bare  rock,  on  which  we 
endured  the  rain  and  snow  for  two  days,  sheltered 
by  our  blankets,  and  near  a  little  fire  which  we 
fed  with  wood  that  the  waves  drove  ashore. 

*  For  all  from  this  to  "that  we  had"  Margry  has  only 
"  because  it  lasted  four  days,  with  a  fury  like  the  greatest  storms 
at  sea.  He  nevertheless  gained  the  shore,  where  he  remained 
six  days  for  the  lake  to  calm." 


i 


II 


if 


^ 


' 


'I  '  ' 
'I 


l\ 


I  lO 


A     DESCRIPTION 


On  the  28th  after  the  celebration  of  mass* 
we  kept  on  until  far  into  the  night,  and  until  a 
whirlwind  forced  us  to  land  on  a  rocky  point 
covered  with  bushes.  Wc  remained  there  two  f 
days,  and  consumed  the  rest  of  our  provisions, 
that  is  to  say,  the  Indian  corn  and  squashes  that 
we  had  bought  of  the  Poutouatamis  and  of  which 
wc  had  been  unable  to  lay  ir  a  greater  supply, 
because  our  canoes  were  too  heavily  laden,  and 
because  we  hoped  to  find  some  on  our  route. 

We  set  out  the  first  of  October,  and  after 
making  twelve  |'  leagu»,i>  fasting,  arrived  near 
another  village  of  the  Foutouatamies§.  These 
Indians  all  flocked  to  the  lake  shore  to  receive  us 
and  to  haul  us  in  from  the  w^ves  which  rose  to 
an  extraorai—  -y  height.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
fearing  that  his  men  would  desert,  and  that  suine 

*  These  four  words  omitted  in  Margry. 

t  Three  in  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  147. 

X  Ten  in  Margry,  i,  p.  452. 

§  Margry  adds  :  "  The  bank  was  high  and  steep,  and  cxpused 
to  the  northeast,  which  was  then  bl')u''nj|,  and  increased  to  such 
a  degree  that  the  waves  b"..'lce  on  :hv-  jhorc  in  an  extraordinary 
manner."  What  follows  down  to  '■  tv'Crn.  peril  and  "  is  not 
in  Margry. 


OF    LOUISIANA.  I  I  I 

of  them  would  carelessly  waste  some  of  the  goods, 

pushed  on  and  we  were  obliged  to  follow  him 
three  leagues  beyond  the  v'llage  of  the  Indians, 
notwithstanding  the  evident  peril,  and  he  saw 
no  other  alternative  to  take  in  order  to  land  in 
safety  than  to  leap  into  the  water  with  his  three 
canoemen,  and  all  together  take  hold  of  the 
canoe  and  its  load  and  drag  it  ashore  in  spite  of 
the  waves  which  sometimes  covered  them  over 
their  heads. 

He  then  came  to  meet  the  canoe,  which  I 
guided  with  this  man  who  had  no  experience  in 
this  work,  and  jumping  waist  high  into  the  water, 
we  carried  our  little  craft  all  at  once,  and  went 
to  receive  the  other  two  canoes  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  former.  And*  as  the  waves  break- 
ing on  the  shore  formed  a  kind  of  undertow, 
which  drags  out  into  the  lake  those  who  think 
they  are  safe,  I  made  a  powerful  effort  and  took 
on  my  shoulders  our  good  old  Recollect  who 
accompanied  us,  and  this  amiable  missionary  of 
Saint  Francis,  seeing  himself  out  of  danger,  all 
*  The  rest  of  this  paragraph  is  not  in  Margry. 


1  12 


A     DI'.SCRIPTION 


II 


drenched  as  he  was  with  water  never  failed  to 
display  an  extraordinary  cheerfulness. 

As  we  had  no  acquaintance  with  the  Indians 
of  this  village,  the  Commandant  first  ordered  all 
the  arms  to  be  got  ready,  and  posted  himself  on 
an  eminence  where  it  was  difficult  to  surprise  us, 
and  whence  he  could  with  a  small  force  defend 
himself  against  a  greater  number.  He  then  sent 
three  of  his  men  to  buy  provisions  in  the  village, 
under  the  protection  of  the  calumet  of  peace 
which  the  Poutouatamis  of  the  Island  had  given 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  and  which  they  had  pre- 
viously accompanied  with  their  dances  and  cere- 
monies, which  they  use  in  their  feasts  and  public 
solemnities. 

This  calumet  *  is  a  kind  of  large  pipe  for 
smoking,  the  head  of  which  is  of  a  fine  red  stone 
well  polished,  and  the  stem  two  feet  and  a  half 
long  is  a  pretty  stout  cane  adorned  with  feathers 
of  all  sorts  of  colors,  very  neatly  mingled  and 
arranged,  with  several  tresses  of  woman's   hair, 

♦The  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  149,  prefaces  this  with  some  remarks 
on  the  esteem  in  which  the  calumet  was  held. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


"3 


braided  in  various  ways,  with-*^  two  wings,  such 
as  are  usually  represented  on  the  Caduceus  of 
Mercury,!  ^^^^  nation  embellishing  it  according 
to  its  especial  usage.  A  calumet  of  this  kind  is  a 
sure  passport  among  all  the  allies  of  those  who 
have  given  it ;  and  they  are  convinced  that  great 
misfortunes  would  befall  them,  if  they  violated 
the  faith  of  the  calumet.  And;};  all  their  enter- 
prises in  war  and  peace  and  most  important 
ceremonies  are  sealed  and  attested  by  the  calumet 
which  they  make  all  smoke  with  whom  they 
conclude  any  matter  of  consequence.^ 

*  The  rest  of  the  sentence  omitted  in  Margry. 

fNouv.  Decouv.  adds:  This  cane  is  inserted  in  necks  of 
Hilars  (loons)  which  are  a  kind  of  bird  spotted  white  and  black 
as  large  as  our  geese  or  in  necks  of  woodducks  which  build 
their  nests  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  although  the  water  is  their 
usual  element.  These  ducks  are  striped  with  three  or  four 
different  colors,  p.  150. 

I  This  is  omitted  in  Margry. 

§  I  should  have  perished  several  times  during  this  voyage,  if 
I  had  not  used  the  calumet.  This  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel 
of  this  history,  where  I  shall  have  to  speak  of  the  monsters  J 
had  to  overcome  and  the  precipices  where  I  have  been  obliged 
to  piss  in  this  discovery."     Nouvelle  Dccouv.,  p.  151. 


''T'inriwi«i 


114 


A     DESCRIPTION 


•I 

I 
I 


fVj 

I  1 

'  'M 

;  Bi 

s 

;  P 

f* 

1 

1 

1 

■r- 

1 

0 

These  three  men  with  this  safeguard  and 
their  arms,  arrived  at  the  little  village  of  the  In- 
dians three  leagues  distant  from  the  landing,  but 
they  found  no  one.  These  Indians,  at  the  sight 
of  our  canoes,  perceiving  that  we  had  not  landed, 
on  passing  them,  had  taken  fright  and  abandoned 
their  village.  Accordingly  these  men  after  using 
all  endeavors  in  vain  to  speak  to  some  one  of 
these  Indians,  took  what  Indian  corn  they  could 
carry  from  their  cabins,  and  left  goods  there  in 
place  of  what  they  appropriated  ;  and  then  took 
the  road  to  return  to  us. 

Meanwhile  twenty  of  these  Indians  armed  with 
guns,  axes,  bows,  arrows,  and  clubs  which  are 
called  casse-tetcs,  approached  the  place  where 
we  were.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  advanced  to 
accost  them  with  four  of  his  men  armed  with 
guns,  pistols  and  sabres.  He  asked  them  what 
they  wished  ;  seeing  that  they  appeared  perplexed, 
he  told  them  to  come  on,  for  fear  his  men,  who,  ^•• 
he  pretended  were  out  hunting,  might  kill  them, 
if  they  found  them  out  of  the  way.     He   made 

*  Rest  of  sentence  not  in  Margry. 


^ 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


115 


them  sit  down  at  the  foot  of  the  rising  ground 
on  which  we  had  camped,  and  from  which  we 
could  watch  all  their  movements.  We  began  to 
occupy  them  with  different  things,  to  amuse  them 
till  our  three  men  got  back  from  the  village. 
These  men  appearing  some  time  afterwards,  as 
soon  as  the  Tndians  perceived  the  peace  calumet 
which  one  of  our  men  carried,  they  rose  uttering 
a  great  cry  of  joy,  and  began  to  dance  after  their 
fashion.  Far  from  being  angry  about  the  Indian 
corn  which  they  saw  and  which  had  been  taken 
from  them,  they  on  the  contrary  sent  to  the  village 
to  bring  more,  and  gave  us  some  also  the  next 
day,  as  much  as  we  could  conveniently  put  in  our 
canoes. 

It  was  nevertheless  deemed  prudent  to  fell  the 
trees  around  and  to  command  our  men  to  pass 
the  night  under  arms,  for  fear  of  any  surprise. 
About  ten  o'clock  the  next  day,  the  oldmen  of 
the  village  arri.ed  with  their  peace  calumet  and 
feasted  all  the  French.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  * 
thanked  them  by  a  present  of  some  axes,  knives 

*  "We"  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  154. 


i 


ii6 


A    DF.SCRIPTION 


1 


■  i 

i 


k;! 


i 

!     ' 


and   some  masses    of  beads   for    their   women's 
adornment,  and  left  th'jm  very  well  satisfied. 

We  set  out  the  same  day,  October  2d,  and  we 
sailed  for  four  days  along  the  shore.  It  was 
bordered  by  great  hills  running  abruptly  down 
to  the  lake,  where  there  was  scarcely  place  to 
land.  We  were  even  forced  every  evening  to 
climb  to  the  summit,  and  carry  up  there  our 
canoes  and  cargoes,  so  as  not  to  leave  them  ex- 
posed by  night  to  the  waves  that  beat  the  foot. 
W2  were  also  obliged  by  too  violent  headwinds, 
during  these  four  days  and  very  frequently  after- 
wards, to  land  with  the  greatest  hardship.  To 
embark  it  required  that  two  men  should  go  waist 
high  into  the  water,  and  hold  the  canoe  head  on 
to  the  wave,  pushing  it  ahead  or  drawing  it  back 
as  the  wave  rolled  in  or  ran  out  from  land  until 
it  was  loaded.  Then  it  was  pushed  out  to  wait  till 
the  others  were  loaded  in  the  same  way  ;  and  we 
had  almost  as  much  trouble  at  the  other  land- 
ings.      The    Indian     corn  *    that    we    ate    very 

*  The  following  to  "  timely  aid  "  is  almost  all  omitted  in 
Margry.  In  the  brief  reference  to  FatherGabriel  his  age  64  is 
mentioned. 


\ti  , 


n    > 


OP    LOUISInNA.  II7 

sparingly  and  provisions  failing  us,  our  good  old 
Recollect  had  several  times  fainting  fits.  I  twice 
brought  him  to,  with  a  little  confection  of 
hyacinth,  which  I  preserved  preciously.  For 
twenty-four  hours  we  ate  only  a  handfull  of 
Indian  corn  cooked  under  the  ashes  or  merely 
boiled  in  water,  and  during  all  this  time  we  were 
obliged  to  keep  on  towards  a  good  country  and 
to  paddle  with  all  our  strength  whole  days. 
Our  men  frequently  ran  for  little  haws  and 
wild  fruit,  which  they  ate  with  great  avidity. 
Several  fell  sick  who  thought  that  these  fruits 
had  poisoned  them.  The  more  we  suffered,  the 
more  God  seemed  to  give  me  especially  strength, 
and  I  often  outstripped  in  paddling  our  other 
canoes.  During  this  scarcity.  He  who  cares  for 
the  smallest  birds,  allowed  us  to  see  several 
crows  and  eagles,  which  were  on  the  lake  shore. 
Plying  our  paddles  with  redoubled  zeal  towards 
these  carnivorous  birds,  we  found  there  half  a 
very  fat  deer  which  the  wolves  had  killed  and 
half  eaten.  We  recruited  ourselves  on  the  flesh 
of  this  animal,  blessing  Providence  which  had 
sent  us  such  timely  aid. 


B 


A    DESCRIPTION 


xhus  our  little  fleet  advanced  toward  the 
South  where  we  found  the  country  always  finer 
and  more  temperate. 

On  the  1 6th  of  October  we  began  to  find  a 
great  abundance  of  game,  and  our  Indian,  a  very 
excellent  hunter,  killed  stags  and  deer,  and  our 
Frenchmen  very  fat  poules  d'inde.  And  at  last 
on  the  28th  *  of  the  month  of  October  we  reached 
the  extremity  of  Lake  Dauphin,  where  the  heavy 
wind  forced  us  to  land. 

We  went  out  to  scout,  as  we  were  accustomed 
to  do  in  the  woods  and  prairies.  We  found  very 
good  ripe  grapes,  the  berries  of  which  were  as 
large  as  damson  plums.  To  get  this  fruit  wc 
had  to  cut  down  the  trees  on  which  the  vines 
ran.  We  made  some  wine  f  which  lasted  us 
nearly  three  months  and  a  half  and  which  we 
kept  in  gourds.  These  we  put  every  day  in  the 
sand  to  prevent  the  wine  from  souring,  and  in 
order  to  make  it   last  longer,  we  said  mass  only 

*  Nouv.  Dec.  p.  157  says  i8th. 

t  For  the  rest  of  this  sentence  and  the  two  following,  Margry's 
Relation  says  merely  "  in  order  to  say  mass." 


OF    LOUISIANA.  I  I9  i 

on  holidays  and  Sundays,  one  after  the  other. 
All  the  woods  were  full  of  vines  which  grow  wild. 
We  ate  this  fruit  to  make  the  meat  palatable 
which  we  were  forced  to  eat  without  bread. 

Fresh  footprints  of  men  were  noticed  at  this 
place.  This  fort  td  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  to  keep  his 
men  on  their  guard,  and  without  making  any  noise. 
All  our  men  obeyed  for  a  time,  but  one  of  them 
having  perceived  *  a  bear,  could  not  restrain  him- 
self from  firing  his  gun  at  it,  ^^hich  killed  the 
animal  and  sent  it  rolling  from  the  top  of  the 
mountain  to  the  bottom  to  the  very  foot  of  our 
cabins. 

This  noise  revealed  us  to  a  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  Indians  of  the  nation  of  the  Outouagamis,f 
who  live   near   the   extremity  of  the  Bay  of  the  \ 

Puants;};  who  were  cabined  in  our  vicinity.     The  \ 

Sieur  de  la  Salle  was  very  uneasy  about  the  trails 
we  had  seen.  He  blamed  our  men  for  their 
lack  of  prudence,  and  then  to  prevent  surprises,  \ 

*  Margry's  Relation  for  the  rest  of  the  sentence  has  "  a  bear  ' 

and  a  stag,  they  could  not  forbear  firing  at  them."  \ 

t  The  Foxes. 
J  Green  Bay. 


?s 


120 


A    DESCRIPTION 


I. 
I 


it 

ii' 


'(ij 


he  placed  a  sentinel  near  the  canoes,  under  which 
all  the  goods  were  placed  to  protect  them  from 

the  rain.* 

This  precaution  did  not  prevent  thirty  Outoua- 
gamis,  under  cover  of  the  rain  which  was  falling 
in  torrents,  and  through  the  negligence  of  the 
sentinel  who  was  on  duty,  from  gliding  by  night 
with  their  usual  dexterity,  along  the  hill  where 
our  canoes  were,  and  lying  on  their  bellies  near 
one  another,  succeed  in  stealing  the  f  coat  of  the 
Sieur  de  la  Salle's  lackey,]and  a  part  of  what  was 
under,  which  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand. 
Our  sentinel  hearing  some  noise  and  rousing  us, 
each  one  ran  to  arms. J;  These  Indians  seeing 
themselves  thus  discovered,  their  chief  called  out 
that  he   was  a  friend.     He  was  told  in   answer, 

*  And  another  near  the  cabins,  Margry,  i  p.  456, 

t  For  "  the  coat "  etc.,  ..."  and  a  "  Margry's  reads  "  a  good." 

X  For  this  sentence  Margry's  Relation  gives  a  different  state- 
ment. "  The  Sieur  de  \\  Salle  awoke  at  this  moment  and 
having  risen  to  ascertain  whether  his  sentinels  were  discharging 
their  duty,  he  saw  something  move  which  induced  him  to  call 
his  men  to  arms,  and  with  them  he  occupied  an  eminence 
by  which  the  Indians  were  compelled  to  pass." 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


121 


that  it  was  an  unseasonable  hour,  and  that  people 
did  not  come  in  that  way  hy  night  except  to 
steal  or  kill  those  who  were  not  on  their  guard. 

He  replied  that  in  truth,  the  shot  that  had 
been  fired,  had  made  his  countrymen  all  think 
that  it  was  a  party  of  Iroquois,  their  enemies,  as 
the  other  Indians,  their  neighbors,  did  not  use  such 
fire  arms,  and  that  they  had  accordingly  advanced 
with  the  intent  of  killing  them,  but  having  dis- 
covered that  they  were  Frenchmen  whom  they 
regarded  as  their  brethren,  the  impatience  which 
they  felt  to  see  them,  had  prevented  their  waiting 
for  daylight  to  visit  us  and  to  smoke  in  our 
calumet  with  us.  This  is  the  ordinary  com- 
pliment of  these  Indians  and  their  greatest  marks 
of  affection. 

We  pretended  to  credit  these  reasons,  and  they 
were  told  to  approach  to  the  number  of  four  or 
five  only,  because  their  young  men  were  given  to 
stealing  and  that  our  Frenchmen  were  in  no 
humor  to  put  up  with  it.  Four  or  five  old  men 
having  advanced  we  endeavored  to  entertain  them 

12 


rr 


122 


A     DESCRIPTION 


! 


:^'! 


) 


till   daylight ;  when   day  came  we   left    ihem   at 
liberty  to  retire. 

After  their  departure  our  ship  carpenters  per- 
ceived that  they  had  been  robbed  and  as  we  knew 
perfectly  the  disposition  of  the  Indians,  and  we 
knew  that  they  would  form  similar  enterprises 
every  night,  if  we  dissembled  on  this  occasion, 
we  resolved  to  insist  on  redress.  The  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  at  the  head  of  our  men  ascend  M  an  eminence 
of  peninsular  form  ;  he  tried  in  person  to  find  some 
Indian  off  by  himself  He  had  scarcely  marched 
three  hundred  paces,  when  he  found  the  fresh 
trjiil  of  a  hunter.  He  followed  him  pistol  in 
hand  and  having  overtaken  him  soon  after  ''''■ 
opposite  a  hill  where  I  was  gathering  grapes  with 
Father  Gabriel,  he  called  me  and  begged  me  to 
follow  him.  He  seized  and  put  him  under 
guard  of  his  men,  after  having  learned  from  him 
all  the  circumstances  of  the  theft.  He  again  took 
the  field  with  two  of  his  men  and  having  arrested 
one  of  the  most  important  Indians  of  his  nation, 

*  Fioin    here   to   "  follow  him  "   omitted   in    Maigry  where 
"  we  ••  is  fe-Jnerally  "  he." 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


123 


he  showed  him  at  a  distance  the  one  he  already 
held  as  a  prisoner,  and  sent  him  back  to  tell  his 
p-ople,  that  he  would  kill  their  comrade,  if  they 
did  not  bring  back  ail  that  they  had  stolen  during 
the  night. 

This  proposition  embarrassed  these  savages, 
because  they  had  cut  the  lackey's  coat  in  pieces, 
and  laken  some  goods  with  the  buttons  =^  to 
divide  them  among  them.  Thus  unable  to  restore 
them  whole,  and  not  knowing  by  what  means 
to  deliver  their  comrade,  as  they  have  a 
strong  friendship  for  one  another,  they  resolved 
to  rescue  him  by  force. 

The  next  morning,  30th  of  the  month  of 
October,  they  all  advanced  arms  in  hand  to  begin 
the  attack.  The  peninsula  where  we  were  en- 
camped, was  separated  from  the  wood  where  the 
Indians  appeared,  by  a  long  sandy  plain  two  gun 
shots  wide.  At  the  end  of  this  plain  towards 
the  wood  we  noticed  that  there  were  several  small 
mounds,  and  that  the  one  nearest  to  us  comman- 

*  For  "  the  lackey's  coat the  buttons  "  Margry  has, "  some 

goods." 


124 


A    DFSCRIPTTON 


m 


I' 

1. 


ded  the  others.  This  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  occu- 
pied and  commanded  five  men  who  carried  their 
hlankets  half  rolled  around  the  left  arm  to  shield 
themselves  against  the  arrows  of  the  Indians.* 
He  followed  his  men  immediately  after,  to  sup- 
port the  former,  hut  the  youngest  of  the  Indians 
seeing  the  French  approach  to  charge  on  them 
drew  off  and  took  to  cover  under  a  large  tree 
on  the  hill.  This  did  not  prevent  their  chiefs 
from  continuing  to  remain  near  us. 

There  were  only  seven  or  eight  who  had  guns, 
the  others  had  bows  and  arrows  only  ;  and  during 
all  these  manoeuvres  on  both  sides,  we  three 
Recollects  were  there  saying  our  office,  and  as  I 
was  the  one  of  the  three  who  had  seen  most  iii 
matter  of  war,  having  served  as  King's  chaplain 
iMider  the  direction  of  the  Very  Rev.  Father 
Hyacinth  le  Fevre,  I  camef  out  of  our  cabin  to 

*  Maigry's  Relation  acids  '•  who  had  seized  all  these  emi- 
nences," and  instead  of  what  follows  down  to  125  Indians  reads 
"  But  these  savages  seeing  the  French  approach  to  charge  them 
abandoned  the  nearest  and  gave  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  time  to 
mount  the  highest.      This  action" 

f  The  Nouvelle  Decouverte  omits  this  name  and  adds  "  in 
sieges  and  battles."  What  precedes  corresponds  mainly  in  both 
editions. 


r" 


iil 


w^ 


OF     LOUISIA:«.A. 


125 


see  what  figure  our  men  made  under  arms  and  to 
encourage  two  of  the  youngest  whom  I  saw  grow 
pale,   and   who  nevertheless   made  for  all  that  a 
show   ol    being   brave   and   haughty  as  much  as 
their  leader.      I  approached  in  the  direction  of 
the  oldest   Indians,   and  as  they  saw   that   I  was 
unarmed,  they  readily  inferred  that  I  approached 
them  with  a  view  to  part  the  combatants  and  to 
become  the   mediator  of  their  differences.     One 
of  our  men  seeing   a  band   of  red   stuff,    which 
served   as  a   head  band  to  one  of  these  Indians, 
went  and   tore  it  off  his  head,   giving   him  to 
understand  that  he  had  stolen  it  from  us. 
This  bold  act  of  eleven  armed  Frenchmen  against 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  Indians,  so  intimidated 
these  savages  that  two  of  their  old  men  near  whom 
I  was.  presented    the  peace  calumet,  and   having 
advanced  on  the  assurance  given  that  they  could 
do  so  without  any  fear,  they  said  that   they  had 
not  resorted  to  this  extreme  course,  except  from 
the  inability"^   they  were  in  to  restore  what  they 
had  stolen  from   us,  in    the  condition   in  which 
*  The  text  has  impatience^  evidently  a  misprint  for  impuissanct. 


msammoBBA 


^^ 


126 


A     DESCRIPTION 


II  > 


they  had  taken  it :  that  they  were  ready  to  restore 
what  was  whole,  and  to  pay  for  the  rest.  At  the 
same  time  they  presented  some  beaver  rohes 
to  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  to  dispose  his  mind 
to  peace,  excusing  themselves  for  the  small  value 
of  their  present,  as  the  season  was  too  far  advanced. 
We  contented  ourselves  with  their  excuses,  they 
fulfilled  what  they  had  promised,  and  thus  peace 
was  restored. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  dances,  in  feasts  and 
speeches,=^=  and  the  head  chief  of  these  Indians 
turning  towards  the  Recollects,  said  :  "  See,  the 
Grey  Gowns,  for  whom  we  feel  great  esteem  ! 
they  go  barefooted  like  us,  they  despise  the  beaver 
robes  whi  :h  we  wish  to  give  them,  without  any 
hope  of  return  ;  they  have  no  arms  to  kill  us  : 
they  flatter  and  caress  our  little  children,  and  give 
them  beads  f  for  nothing,  and  those  of  our  nation 

*  The  following  is  omitted  in  Margry  down  to  "  He  added 
that  "  the  connection  being  by  the  words  "  in  which  they  ex- 
hc-ted  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  to  remain  with  them  and  not  go 
among  the  Illinois  whom  it  would  be  impossible  to  resist,  and 
who  had  resolved  to  massacre  all  the  French." 

t  "And  little  knives"   Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  166. 


■^^ 


EWHN 


OK    LOUISIANA. 


127 


who  have  carried  furs  to  the  villages  of  the  French 
have  told  us  that  that  Onnotio*  the  great  chief  of 
the  French  loves  them,  because  they  have  left 
everything  that  the  French  esteem  most  precious, 
to  come  and  visit  us,  and  to  remain  with  us. 
You  who  are  the  chief  of  those  who  are  here, 
arrange  so  as  to  make  one  of  the  Gray  gowns 
remain  with  us.  We  will  give  them  part  of  all 
we  have  to  eat,  and  we  will  take  them  to  our 
village  after  we  have  killed  some  buffalo  ;  and 
you  who  are  master,  arrange  so  as  to  stay  here 
also  with  us ;  do  not  go  to  the  Islinois,  for  we 
know  that  they  wish  to  massacre  all  the  French. f 
It  will  be  impossible  for  you  to  resist  that  numerous 
nation.  He  added  that  since  an  Iroquois,  whom 
the  Islinois  had  burned,  had  assured  them  that  the 

*  Oiioiitio,  Nouv.  Decouv.  Huron  and  Onondaga  word 
meaning  Beautiful  mountain.  Ononta^  meaning  mountain,  and 
to  in  composition  meaning  beautiful.  The  tern  s  given 
originally  to  Moritmagny,  Governor  of  Canada,  .  parently 
in  the  sense  of  "  Mont  magnifique,"  "  Beautiful  mountain  " 
and  was  subscqnentiv  given  to  all  the  governors  of  Canada. 
The  Nouv.  Dec.  has  "  Canadians  "  for  "  French  "  throughout 
this  part. 

t  Your  followers.      Nouv.  Dec,  p.  167. 


12 


8 


A    DESCRIPTION 


i 


I 


i 


m  - ' 


war  which  the  Iroquois  made  on  them,  had  been 
advised  by  the  French,  who  hated  the  Islinois. 
They  added  several  like  reasons  which  alarmed 
almost  all  our  French  men,='=  and  greatly  disquieted 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  because  all  the  Indians  whom 
he  had  met  on  our  whole  route,  had  told  him 
pretty  nearly  the  same  thing. 

Nevertheless  as  he  knew  that  these  reason 
might  have  been  have  been  inspired  by  those  who 
opposed  our  enterprise  and  by  the  jealousy  of 
the  Indians  to  whom  the  Islinois  were  formid- 
able by  their  valor,  and  who  feared  thaf  they 
might  become  still  more  haughty,  when  by 
means  of  the  Frenchf  they  had  acquired  the  use 
of  fire  arms,  we  resolved  to  pursue  our  course, 
taking  all  necessary  precautions  for  our  safety. 

He  accordingly  answering  the  Outouagamis, 
told  them  that  he  thanked  them  for  the  infor- 
mation which  they  gave  us,  but  that  the  French 
who  are  spirits  (the  Indians  so  style  us,  saying 
that  they  are  only  men,  but  that  we  are  spirits)  J 

*  Canadians.   Nouv.  Dec,  p.  167. 
f  By  our  means  Nouv.  Dec. 

t  For    "the    French  ...spirit  "    Margry    leads    "  he "  For 
French,  the  Nouv.  Dec.  has  "  we." 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


129 


did  not  fear  the  Islinois,  and  that  we  would 
bring  them  to  reason  by  friendship  or  by  force. 

The  next  day,  the  first  of  the  month  of  No- 
vember, we  all  reembarked  and  we  arrived  at  the 
rendezvous,  which  we  had  arranged  with  *  twenty 
other  Frenchmen  who  were  to  come  and  meet 
us  by  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  It  was  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  of  the  Miamis,  which  coming 
from  the  south  empties  into  Lake  Dauphin. 

We  were  surprised  to  find  no  one  there,  be- 
causef  the  French  whom  we  expected,  had  had 
a  much  shorter  route  to  make  than  we  had,  and 
their  canoes  were  not  heavily  laden  ]; 

We  had  resolved  to  make  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
see  that  he  ought  not  to  expose  us  unseasonably 
and  not  to  wait  for  winter,  to  conduct  us  to  the 

*  Maigry  reads  "  the  Sieur  de  Tonty  has  had  etc."  Sec 
LcClercq,  Etablissment  de  la  Foi  2  p.  151. 

t  Margrv  adds:  "nevertheless  he  profited  by  this  conjunc- 
ture to  gain  time  and  carry  out  the  design  that  he  had  formed. 
He  had  resolved  not  to  expose  himself"  unseasonably."  etc. 

I  All  the  rest  is  omitted  in  Maigry,  which  reads,  "and  that 
having  been  joined  by  the  Sieur  de  Tonty  who  was  to  bring 
him  20  men  he  would  be  able  without  danger,"  etc. 


I30 


A    DESCRIPTION 


Ili 


Islinois,  because  during  that  season  these  nations, 
in  order  to  hunt  more  conveniently,  brealc  up 
into  families  or  bands  of  two  or  three  hundred 
persons  each,]};  and  that  the  longer  we  lingered 
in  that  spot,  the  greater  difficulty  we  should  find 
in  getting  there.  That  as  the  hunting  began  to 
fail  where  we  were,  his  whole  party  ran  a  risk 
of  starving  to  death,  and  that  among  the  Islinois 
we  should  find  Indian  corn  for  our  food,  and 
that  we  should  live  better,  being  only  fourteen 
men  by  our  route,  than  if  wj  were  thirty-two; 
that  if  the  rivers  should  freeze  over,  we  would 
not  be  able  of  ourselves  to  carry  all  the  equipage, 
for  a  hundred  leagues.  He  answered  us  that 
when  the  twenty  men  whom  he  expected  had 
joined  us,  he  would  be  able  without  danger  to 
make  himself  knov/n  to  the  first  band  of  Islinois 
whom  he  should  find  huniimg,  and  gain  them  by 
kind  treatment,  and  by  presents,  learning  some 
tincture  of  the  Islinois  language,  and  that  by  this 
means  he  would  easily  form  alliance  with  the 
rest  of  the  nation. 

We*  understood   by  similar  remarks,  that  he 

*  This  sentence  omitted  in  Margry. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


131 


regarded  his  own  will  alone  as  reason  ;  and  he 
told  us  that  if  all  his  men  deserted  he  would 
remain  with  our  Indian  hunter,  and  that  he 
would  easily  find  means  by  hunting  to  enable 
the  three  Recollect  missionaries  to  live. 

In  this  thought,  he  availed  himself  of  the 
delay  of  the  Frenchmen  *  whom  he  expected ; 
he  told  his  men  that  he  was  resolved  to  wait, 
and  to  amuse  them  by  some  useful  occupation, 
he  proposed  to  them  to  build  a  fort,  and  a  house 
for  the  security  of  the  bark  and  of  the  goods 
which  she  was  to  bring,  in  order  to  serve  us  as  a 
refuge  in  case  of  need. 

There  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the 
Miamis,f  an  eminence  with  a  kind  of  platform 
on  top  and  naturally  fortified.  It  was  high  and 
steep,  of  triangular  figure,  formed  on  two  sides 
by  the  river,  and  on  the  other  by  a  deep  ravine. 
He  felled  the  trees  by  which  it  was  covered  and 
cleared  away  the  underbrush  for  two  gun  shots 
in  the  direction  of  the  woods.     Then  he  began 

*  Our  men.      Nouv      Jcc,  p.  170. 

t  Now    known   as    the  St.    Joseph's.     The    mouth    forms 
Benton  Harbor.      Beckwith's  Historic  Notes,  p.  75. 


It: 


m  p 


132 


A    DESCRIPTION 


Mi 


•^  II 


a  redoubt  forty  feet  long  by  eighty "'  broad, 
fortified  by  squared  beams  and  joists,  and  musket 
proof,  laid  one  on  another  :  his  design  being  to 
put  inclined  palisades  around  the  two  sides  facing 
the  river.  He  cut  down  palisades  which  he 
wished  to  plant  en  tenaille  twenty-five  feet  high 
on  the  land  side. 

The  month  of  November  was  spent  in  these 
works,f  during  which  time  we  ate  nothing  but 
bear  meat  that  our  hunter  killed.  There  were 
at  this  place  many  of  these  animals,  that  were 
attracted  to  it,  by  the  great  quantities  of  grapes 
growing  everywhere  there  ;  but  our  people  seeing 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  all  unmanned  by  the  fear 
he  entertained  of  the  loss  of  his  bark,  and  utterly 
annoyed  also  at  the  delay  of  his  men,  whom  the 
Sieur  de  Tonty  was  to  bring  us,  the  rigorous  set- 
ting in  of  winter  as  a  climax  disheartening  them, 
the  mechanics  worked  only  reluctantly,  storming 

*  Margry  has  30. 

•}■  Instead  of  what  follows  down  to  "  perseverance  "  Mar- 
gry reads  :  "except  the  holidays  and  Sundays,  when  all  the  party 
attended  divine  service  and  the  sermon  which  Fathers  Gabrie] 
and  Louis  delivered  alternately  after  Vespers." 


..I 


^  p 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


133 


against  the  fat  bear  meat,  and  at  their  being  de- 
prived of  liberty  to  go  and  kill  deer  to  eat  with 
the  bear  fat,  but  their  aim  all  tended  to  deser- 
tion.* 

We  made  a  bark  cabin  during  this  halt,  in 
order  to  say  mass  more  conveniently,  and  on  holi- 
days and  Sundays  Father  Gabriel  and  I  preached 
alternately,  chosing  the  most  impressive  matters 
to  exhort  our  men  to  patience  and  perseverance. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  same  month 
we  had  examined  the  mouth  of  the  river.  We 
had  marked  a  sand  bank  there,  and  to  facilitate 
the  entrance  of  the  bark,  in  case  it  arrived,  the 
channel  was  marked  out  by  two  tall  poles  planted 
on  either  side  of  the  entrance,  with  bear  skinf 
pendants,  and  buoys  all  along.  We  had  more- 
over sent  to  Missilimakinac  two  of  our  men,  in- 
formed of  all  things  to  serve  as  guides  to  Lukef 
the  pilot. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  the  Sieur  de  Tonty 


*  Le  Clercq  gives  this  briefly.      Etablissemem  de  la  Foi.  ii,  p. 


151. 


t  This  word  not  in  Margry. 


■■ 


'34 


A    DESCRIPTION 


arrived*   with    two  canoes    loaded    with    several 
stags.     This  revived  a  little  the  drooping  spirits 
of  our  workmen,  but  as  he  brought  us  only  half 
of  the  men  whom  we  expected,  and  had  left  the 
rest  at   liberty  three   days   from  our  works,  this 
gave  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  some  uneasiness ;  our 
new  comers  said  that  the  bark  had  not  touched 
at   Missilimakinac,  and  that   they  had   heard   no 
tidings  of  her  from    the   Indians,   coming  from 
all  sides    of  the  lakes,  nor   from   the    two   men 
who    had    been    sent    to    Missilimakinac     and 
whom   they  had   met  on    the   way.      He   feared 
and  with  reason  that  his  bark  had  been  wrecked. 
Nevertheless  he   kept  his  men   working  at  the 
Fort  of  the   Miamis,   as  he    called  it,   and    not 
seeing    her    appear    after    waiting    so    long,    he 
resolved  to  set  out,  for  fear  of  being  stopped  by 
the  ice  which  began  to  close  theriver,f  and  which 
broke  up  at  the  first  light  rain.     Nevertheless  we 

*  Instead  of  the  following  to  "  new  comers,  said."  Margry 
has  simply  "  who  said  to  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle."  Tonty  says 
he  arrived  Nov.  12       Margry  i,  p.  580. 

t  The  rest  of  the  sentence  and  down  to  "  deserted  "  is  not 
in  Margry. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


135 


had  to  wait  for  the  rest  of  the  men  whom  the 
Sieur  de  Tonty  had  left  behind,  and  to  repair  the 
fault  that  he  had  committed,  he  retraced  his  steps 
to  make  them  come  on  and  join  us  at  once. 
On  the  way  he  wished  to  hold  a  little,  and  re- 
sist the  highwind,  against  the  opinion  of  Sieur 
Dautray "  and  his  other  canoemen,  and  as  he  had 
only  one  hand  and  could  not  help  his  two  men 
the  waves  made  them  yaw  and  threw  them  broad 
side  on  the  lake  shore,  where  they  lost  their  guns 
and  their  little  baggage. f  This  obliged  them 
to  come  back  to  us,  and  fortunately  the  rest  of 
our  men  followed  soon  after  them,  except  two 
whom  we  most  mistrusted  and  who,  we  believed, 
had  deserted. 

We  embarked  on  the  3d  of  December  with 
thirty  men  in  eight  canoes  and  ascended  the 
river   of  the  Miamis,  taking  our  course  to   the 

*  John  Francis  Bourdon,  Sieur  d' Autray,  son  of  John  Bourdon, 
Attorney  General  and  Chief  Engineer  of  Canada,  born  at 
Quebec,  Feb.,  1647.     Tanguay,  Dictionaire,  p.  78. 

t  Tonty  in  Margry  i,  p.  581.  Tonty,  Memoire  p.  7.  La 
Hist.  Coll.  I,  p.  54. 


II 


-_«-.^  -L. 


^m 


•^■BP^iWPP 


I    I 

?'    i 


r 


P 

Li 


136 


A    DESCRIPTION 


southeast  for  about  twenty-five*  leagues.  We  f 
could  not  make  out  the  portage  which  we  were 
to  take  with  our  canoes  and  all  our  equipage,  in 
order  to  go  and  embark  at  the  source  of  River 
Seignelay,|*  and  as  we  had  gone  higher  up  in  a 
canoe  without  discerning  the  place  where  we 
were  to  march  by  land  to  take  this  other  river, 
which  runs  to  the  Islinois,  we  halted  to  wait  for 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  who  had  gone  exploring  on 
land,  and  as  he  did  not  return,  we  did  not  know 
what   course   to   pursue.      I   begged  two  of  our 

*  Margry  say  twenty. 

fThis  down  to  "He  told  us  that  the  marshes"  is  Henne- 
pin's account,  the  Margiy  Relation  has  :  "  One  day  the  Sieur  de 
la  Salle  kcnt  his  canoes  ahead  and  tullowed  them  on  land  accord- 
ing to  his  custom,  hunting  and  seeking  to  make  some  profita- 
ble discovery.  He  gave  chase  to  a  stag  that  he  had  wounded 
and  that  he  could  not  overtake  till  he  plunged  4  or  5  leagues 
into  the  wood.  He  thought  that  the  two  men  whom  he  had 
with  him  were  following  his  trail  on  the  snow  and  would  soon 
overtake  him  ;  but  they  got  astray  and  turned  back  to  their 
starting  place  in  the  morning  instead  of  following  the  path  that 
he  took.  Accordingly  after  wailing  sometime  in  vain,  he 
took  his  route  to  come  up  to  the  canoes  again.     Marshes. 

X  The  Nouv.  Dec,  say  "  River  of  the  Illinois.  This  river 
empties  and  loses  its  name  in  the  river  Meschasipi  which  in  the 
language  of  the  Illinois  means  "  Great  River"  p.  176.  It  was 
the  Theakiki,  now  Kankakee  branch  of  the  Illinois. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


m 


most  alert  men  to  penetrate  into  the  woods,  and 
fire  oft"  their  guns  so  as  to  give  him  notice  of  the 
spot  where  we  were  waiting  tor  him.  Two  others 
ascended  the  river  hut  to  no  purpose,  for  the 
night  ohliged  them  to  retrace  their  step.. 

The  next  day  I  took  two  of  our  men  on  a 
lightened  canoe,  to  make  greater  expedition, 
and  to  seek  him  by  ascending  the  river,  but  in 
vain,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we 
perceived  him  at  a  distance,  his  hands  and  face 
all  black  with  the  coals  and  the  wood  that 
he  had  lighted  during  the  night  which  was 
cold.  He  had  two  animals  of  the  size  of 
musk  rats,  hanging  at  his  belt,  which  had  a 
very  beautiful  skin,  like  a  kind  of  ermine, 
which  he  killed  with  blows  of  a  stick,  with- 
out these  little  animals  taking  flight,  and  which 
often  let  themselves  hang  by  the  tail  from 
branches  of  trees,  and  as  they  were  very  fat,  our 
canoemen  feasted  on  them.  He  told  us  that  the 
marshes  he  met  with  obliged  him  to  make  a  wide 
sweep,  and  as  moreover  he  was  hindered  by  the 

snow  which  was  falling  rapidly,  he  was  unable 
13 


MHttiiMiHi 


HHIHIIH 


138 


A    DESCRIPTION 


to  reach  the  bank  of  the  river  before  two  o'clock 
at  night.  He  fired  two  gun  shots  to  notify  us, 
and  no  one  having  answered  him,  bethought  that 
the  canoes  had  gone  on  ahead  of  him,  and  kept 
on  his  way,  along  and  up  the  river.  After  march- 
ing in  this  way  more  than  three  hours,  he  saw  fire 
on  a  mound,  which  he  ascended  brusquely,  and  after 
calling  two  or  three  times  but  instead  of  finding 
us  asleep  as  he  expected,  he  saw  only  a  little  fire 
among  some  brush,  and  under  an  oak  tree,  the 
spot  where  a  man  had  been  lying  down  on  dry 
herbs,  and  who  had  apparently  gone  off  at  the 
noise  which  he  had  heard. •="  It  was  some  Indian 
who  had  gone  there  in  ambush  to  surprise  and 
kill  some  of  his  enemies  along  the  river.  He 
called  him  in  two  or  three  languages,  and  at  last 
to  show  him  that  he  did  not  fear  him,  he  cried 
that  he  was  going  to  sleep  in  his  place.  He 
renewed  the  fire  and  after  warming  himself  well, 
he  took  steps  to  guarantee  himself  against  sur- 
prise, by  cutting  down  around  him  a  quantity  of 
bushes,  which  falling  across  among  those  that 
*  Tonty  describes  this  adventure  briefly,  Margry  i,  p.  581. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


139 


remained  standing,  blocked  the  way,  so  that  no  one 
could  approach  him  without  making  considerable 
noise,  and  awakening  him.  He  then  extinguished 
his  fire  and  slept  although  it  snowed  all  night. 

Father*  Gabriel  and  I  begged  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle,  not  to  leave  his  party  as  he  had  done,  show- 
ing him  that  the  whole  success  of  our  voyage 
depended  on  his  presence. 

Our  Indian  had  remained  behind  us  to  hunt, 
and  not  finding  us  at  the  portage,  he  went  higher 
up,  and  came  to  tell  us  that  we  would  have  to 
descend  the  river.  All  our  canoes  were  sent  with 
him,  and  I  remained  with  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle, 
who  was  very  much  fatigued,  and  as  our  cabiu 

*  Instead   of  the   following   to   "  their   load   of  meat,"   the 
Margry  Relation  reads : 

"  The  next  day  he  went  to  seek  Indian  trails  and  he  found 
that  some  had  come  three  or  four  times  to  his  rampart  of  brush- 
wood, but  that  they  had  not  dared  to  cross  it  for  fear  of  being 
discovered.  He  returned  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  find- 
ing no  sign  of  the  passage  of  the  canoes,  he  retraced  his  trail 
of  the  day  before  and  was  following  the  current  when  he  met 
Father  Louis  who  was  coming  in  search  of  him  in  his  canoe, 
in  which  he  embarked  to  proceed  to  the  spot  where  the  rest  of 
his  little  fleet  awaited  him." 


14.0 


A    DESCRIPTION 


n 


was  composed  only  of  flag  mats,  it  took  fire  at 
night  and  would  have  burnt  us,  had  I  not 
promptly  thrown  off  the  mat  which  served  as  a 
door  to  our  little  quarters,  and  which  was  all  in 
flames. 

We  rejoined  our  party  the  next  day,  at  the 
portage  where  Father  Gabriel  had  made  several 
crosses  on  the  trees,  that  we  might  recognize  it. 
We  found  there  a  number  of  bufi^alo  horns  and 
the  carcasses  of  those  animals,  and  some  canoes 
that  the  Indians  had  made,  of  buffalo  skins  to 
cross  the  river  with  their  load  of  meat. 

This  place  is  situated  on  the  edge  of  a  great 
plain,  at  the  extremity  of  which  on  he  western 
side  is  a  v'.llage  of  Miamis,  Maacontens*  and 
Oiatinon  gathered  together. 

The   river   Seignelay  f    which    flows    to    the 

*  The  Nouv.  Dec.  has  Miamis  Mascouteins,  p.  181.  The 
Ouiatenon  are  the  Weas. 

f  The  portage  was  not  far  from  the  present  city  of  South 
Bend,  Indiana.  "  West  of  the  city  is  Lake  Kankakee,  from 
which  the  Kankakee  rivtr  takes  its  rise.  The  distance  inter- 
vening between  the  head  of  this  little  lake  and  the  St.  Joseph  is 
about   two   miles,  over  a  piece  of  marshy  ground,   where   the 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


141 


Islinois  (Indians,)  rises  in  a  plain  in  the  midst   of 

much   boggy  land,  over  which  it  is  not  easy  to 

walk.     This  river  is   only  a  league   and  a   half 

dictant  from   that  of  the   Miamis,   and  thus  we 

transported  all  our  equipage  and  our  canoes  by  a 

road  which  ^"  we  marked  for  the  benefit  of  those 

who  might  come  after   us,  after   leaving  at  the 

portage  of  the  Miami  river  as  well  as  at  the  fort 

which   we  had  built    at  its  mouth,   letters  §  '  j 

serve  as  a  guide  to  those  who  were  to  come  and 

join  us  by  the  bark  to  the  mimher  of  twenty-five. 

The  river  SeigweUy  is  navigable  for  canoes  to 

withiu    i.  hundred  paces    of  its    source,  and    it 

increases  to  such  an  extent  in  a  short  time,  that 

it  is  almost  as  broad  and  deeper  than  the  Marne.|| 

It  takes  its  course  through  vast  marshes,  where  it 

elevation  is  so  slight,  "  that,"  says  Levette  in  his  report  on  the 
Geology  of  St.  Joseph  County,  "  in  the  year  1832,  a  Mr.  A. 
Croquillard  dug  i  race  and  secured  a  flow  of  water  from  the 
lake  to  the  St.  Joseph,  of  sufficient  power  to  run  a  grist  and 
saw  mill."     Beckwith,  Historic  Notes,  p.  24. 

X  This  marking  is  not  in   Margry  i,  p.  463. 

§  Which  were  hung  on  trees  at  the  pass.  Nouv.  Dec,  p. 
182. 

II  The  Sambre  aud  the  Mcuse.     Nouv.  Die,  p.  182. 


'  1 


!  I 


;  ! 


I 


14.2 


A     DESCRIPTION 


K 


f 


winds  about  so,  though  its  current  is  pretty  strong, 
that  after  sailing  on  it  for  a  whole  day,  we  some- 
times found  that  we  had  not  advanced  more  than 
two  leagues  in  a  straight  line.  As  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  marshes 
full  of  flags  and  alders.  For  more  than  forty 
leagues  of  the  way,  we  could  not  have  found  a 
camping  ground,  except  for  some  hummocks  of 
frozen  earth  on  which  we  slept  and  lit  our  fire. 
Our  provisions  ran  out  and  we  could  find  no 
game  after  passing  these  marshes,  as  we  hoped  to 
do,  because  there  are  only  great  open  plains, 
where  nothing  grows  except  tall  grass,  which  is 
dry  at  this  season,  and  which  the  Miamis  had 
burned  while  hunting  buffalo,  and  '■•  with  all  the 
address  we  employed  to  kill  some  deer,  our  hun- 
ters took  nothing ;  for  more  than  sixty  leagues 
journey,  they  killed  only  a  lean  stag,  a  small  deer, 
some  swans,  and  two  wild  geese  for  the  subsist- 
ance  of  thirty-two  men.f  If  our  canoe  men  had 
found  a  chance,  they  would   infallibly  have  all 

*  The  rest  of  the  paragraph  not  in  Margry. 
f  Thirty  or  thirty-two,  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  184. 


L.      I 


w 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


H3 


abandoned  us,  to  strike  inland  and  join  the  Indians 
whom  we  discerned  by  the  flames  of  the  prairies 
to  which  they  had  set  fire  in  order  to  kill  the 
bufl^alo  more  easily. 

These  animals  are  ordinarily  in  great  numbers 
there,  as  it  is  easy  to  judge  by  the  bones,  the  horns 
and  skulls  that  we  saw  on  all  sides.  The  Miamis 
hunt  them  at  the  end  of  autumn  *  in  the  follow- 
ing manner : 

When  they  see  a  herd,f  they  gather  in  great 
numbers,  and  set  fire  to  the  grass  every  where 
around  these  animals,  except  some  passage  which 
they  leave  on  purpose,  and  where  they  take  post 
with  their  bows  and  arrows.  The  buffalo,  seek- 
ing to  escape  the  fire,  are  thus  compelled  to  pass 
near  these  Indians,  who  sometimes  kill  as  many 
as  a  hundred  and  twenty  |'  in  a  day,  all  which  they 

*  The  Noiiv.  Dec,  here  introduces  the  paragraph  "  We  con- 
tinued "  to  "  cable  "  which  is  in  this  edition  after  the  account  of 
the  buffalo. 

f  *'  When  the  Indians  see  a  herd  of  these  cattle  or  bulls,  they 
gather,  etc."     Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.   i86. 

J  Margry  has  "two  hundred  in  a  day  "  and  omits  rest  of 
paragraph. 


144- 


A    DESCRIPTION 


distribute  according  to  the  wants  of  the  families ; 
and  these  Indians  all  triumphant  over  the  massacre 
of  so  many  animals,  come  to  notify  their  women, 
who  at  once  proceed  to  bring  in  the  meat.  Some 
of  them  at  times  take  on  their  backs  three  hundred 
pounds  weight,  and  also  throw  their  children  on 
top  of  their  load  which  does  not  seem  to  burthen 
them  more  than  a  soldier's  sword  at  his  side. 

These  cattle  have  very  line  wool  instead  of  hair, 
and  the  females  have  it  longer  than  the  males. 
Their  horns  are  almost  all  black,  much  thicker 
than  those  of  cattle  in  Europe,  but  not  quite  so 
long.  Their  head  is  of  monstrous  size  ;  the  neck 
is  very  short,  but  very  thick,*  and  sometimes  six 
hands  f  broad.  They  have  a  hump  or  slight  ele- 
vation between  the  two  shoulders.  Their  legs 
are  very  thick  and  short,  covered  with  a  very  long 
wool.  On  the  head  and  between  the  horns  they 
have  long  black  hair  which  falls  over  their  eves 
and  gives  them  a   fearful  look.     The  |'   meat  of 

*  Rest  of  sentence  omitted  in  Margry. 

t  In  the  Nouv.  Decouv.,  pants,  apparently  palmes  or  paumes. 
I  All  the  description  that  follows  down  to  "as  commonly  as 
in  Europe,"  is  omitted  in  Margry. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


'45 


these  animals  is  very  succulent.  They  are  very 
fat  in  autumn,  because  all  the  summer  they  are 
up  to  their  necks  in  the  grass.  These  vast 
countries  are  so  full  of  prairies,  that  it  seems  this 
is  the  element  and  the  country  of  the  buffalo.* 
There  are  at  near  intervals  some  woods  where 
these  animals  retire  to  ruminate,  and  to  get  out 
of  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

These  wild  cattle  or  bulls  change  country 
according  to  the  season  and  the  diversity  of  cli- 
mate. When  they  approach  the  northern  lands 
and  begin  to  feel  the  beginning  of  winter,  they 
pass  to  the  southern  lands.  They  follow  one 
another  on  the  way  sometimes  for  a  league.  They 
all  lie  down  in  the  same  place,  and  their  resting- 
ground  is  often  full  of  wild  purslain,  which  we 
have  sometimes  eaten. f  The  paths  by  which 
they  have  passed  are  beaten  like  our  great  roads 
in  Europe,  and  no  grass  grows  there.     They  cross 

*  "  The  element  of  the  buftalo  and  the  country  of  the  deer." 
Nouv.  Dec,  p.  i88. 

t  "  This  leads  to  the  conjecture  that  it  is  introduced  into  these 
parts  by  the  dung  of  these  bulls  and  cows."  Nouv.  Dec,  p. 
189. 


IBilHilttli 


1^6 


A     DESCRIPTION 


rivers  and  streams.*     The   wild  cows  go  to  the 
islands  to  prevent   the  wolves   from  eating   their 
calves ;  and  f    even    when    the  calves  can    run, 
the  wolves  would  not  venture  to  approach  them, 
as    the    cows    would    exterminate    them.       The 
Indians    have   this    forecast    not    to   drive    these 
animals  entirely  from  their  countries,  to  pursue 
only  those  who  are  wounded  hy  arrows,  and  the 
others  that  escape,  they  suffer  to  go  at  liberty  with- 
out pursuing  them  further,  in  order  not  to  alarm 
them   too  much.     And  although    these   Indians 
of  these  vast  continents  are  naturally  given  to  des- 
troy the   animals,  they  have  never   been  able  to 
exterminate  these  wild  cattle,  for  however  much 
they  hunt  them  these  beasts  multiply  so  that  they 
return  in  still  greater  numbers  the  following  year. 
The   Indian   women   spin   on    the   distaff  the 
wool  of  these  cattle,   out   of  which   they  make 
bags  to  carry  the   meat,  bcucanned    and  some- 
times dried  in  the  sun,  which  these  women  keep 

♦  "  Tliat  they  find  in  their  way  by  swimming  in  order  to  pas- 
ture from  one  land  to  another."     lb. 

t*'  But  when  once  the  calves  are  large  enough  to  run  after  their 
mothers,  the  wolves."     lb. 


»« 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


^M 


frequently  for  three  or  four  months  of  the  year, 
and  although  they  have  no  salt,  they  dry  it  so 
well  that  the  meat  undergoes  no  corruption,  four 
months  after  they  have  thus  dressed  this  meat, 
one  would  say  on  eating  it  that  the  animals  had  just 
been  killed,  and  we  drank  the  broth  with  them* 
instead  of  water  which  is  the  ordinary  drink  of  all 
the  nations  of  America,  who  have  no  intercourse 
with  Europeans. 

The  ordinary  skins  of  these  wild  cattle  weigh 
from  one  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  twenty  pounds. 
The  Indians  cut  off  the  back  and  the  neck  part 
which  is  the  thickest  part  of  the  skin,  and  they 
take  only  the  thinnest  part  of  the  belly,  which 
they  dress  very  neatly,  with  the  brains  of  all 
kinds  of  animals,  by  means  of  which  they  render 
it  as  supple  as  our  chamois  skins  dressed  with  oil. 
They  paint  it  with  different  color .,  trim  it  with 
white  and  red  porcrpine  quills,  and  make  robes 
of  it  to  parade  in  their  feasts.  In  winter  they 
use  them  to  cover  themselves  especially  at  night. 

*  In  which  this  meat  had  boiled,  like  the  Indians.  Nouv. 
Dec,  p.  190. 


If 


14.8 


A    DESCRIPTION 


I 


Their  robes  which  are  full  of  curly  wool  have  a 
very  pleasing  appearance. 

When  the  Indians  have  killed  any  cows,  the 
little  calves  follow  the  hunters,  and  go  and  lick  their 
hands  or  fingers,  these  Indians  sometimes  take 
them  to  their  children  and  after  they  have  played 
with  them,  they  knock  them  on  the  head  to  eat 
them.  They  preserve  the  hoofs  =''  of  all  these 
little  animals,  dry  them  and  fasten  them  to  rods, 
and  in  their  dances  they  shake  and  rattle  them, 
according  to  the  various  postures  and  motions  of 
the  singers  and  dancers.  This  machine  somewhat 
resembles  a  tambour. 

These  little  animals  might  easily  be  domesti- 
cated and  used  to  plough  the  land. 

These  wild  cattle  subsist  in  all  seasons  of  the 
year.  When  they  are  surprised  by  winter  and 
cannot  reach  in  time  the  southern  land  and  the 
warm  country,  and  the  ground  is  all  covered  with 
snow,  they  have  the  tact  to  turn  up  and  throw 
aside  the  snow,  to  crop  the  grass  hidden  beneath. 
They  are  heard  lowing,  but  not  as  commonly  as 
in  Europe. 

*  In  the  Rel.,  it  is  '  argots '  but  in  the  Nouv.  Dec,  '  ongles.' 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


149 


These  wild  cattle  are  much  larger  in  body  than 
ours  in  Europe  especially  in  the  forepart.  This 
great  bulk  however  does  not  prevent  their  moving 
very  fast,  so  that  there  are  very  few  Indians  who 
can  run  them  down.  These  bulls  often  kill  those 
who  have  wounded  them.  In  the  season  you  see 
herds  of  two  and  even  of  four  hundred. 
Many  other  kinds  of  animals  are  found  in  these 
vast  plains  of  Louisiana,  stags,  deer,  beaver  and 
otter*  are  common  there,  geese,  swans,  turtles,f 
poules  d'inde,  parrots,  partridges,;};  and  many  other 
birds  swarm  there,  the  fishery  is  very  abundant, 
and  the  fertility  of  the  soil  is  extraordinary. 
There  are  boundless  prairies  interspersed  with 
forests  of  tall  trees,  where  there  are  all  sorts  of 
building  timber,  and  among  the  rest  excellent 
oak  full  like  that  in  France  and  §  very  different 
from  that  in  Canada.  The  trees  are  of  prodigious 
girth  and  height,  and  you  could  find  the  finest 

*  The  rest  01  the  sentence  omitted  in  Margry. 
■f  The  French  has  tortues,  evidently  "  tourtres  "  wild  pigeons. 
X  There  is  a  prodigious  quantity  of  pelicans  which  have  mon- 
strous beaks.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  193. 

§  More  solid  and  dense  than  that  in  Canada.     Ibid  194. 


MHi 


I50 


A    DESCRIPTION 


i 


pieces  in  the  world  for  ship  building  which  can 
be  carried  on  upon  the  spot,  and  wood  could  be 
brought  as  ballast  in  the  ships  to  build  all  the 
vessels  of  France,  *  which  would  be  a  great 
saving  to  the  State  and  would  give  the  trees  in 
our  nearly  exhausted  forests  time  to  grow  again. 

Several  kinds  of  fruit  trees  are  also  to  be  seen 
in  the  forests  and  wild  grape  vines  which  produce 
clusters  about  a  foot  and  a  half  long  which  ripen 
perfectly,  and  of  which  very  good  wine  can  be 
made.  There  are  also  to  be  seen  fields  covered 
with  very  good  hemp,  which  grows  there  naturally 
to  a  height  of  six  or  seven  feet.  To  conclude, 
by  the  experiments  f  that  we  have  made  among 
the  Islinois  and  the  Issati,  we  are  convinced  that 
the  soil  is  capable  of  producing  all  kinds  of  fruits, 
herbs  and  grain,  and  in  greater  abundance  than  the 
best  lands  in  Europe.J  The  air  there  is  very 
temperate  and    healthy,  the  country  is  watered 

*  Europe,  Nouv.   Dec,  p.  194. 

f  In  Margry  it  reads :  "  by  the  essays  which  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  made  among  the  Miamis  on  returning  from  his  second 
voyage  we  are  convinced,  etc." 

\  As  two  crops  can  be  gathered  a  year.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  195. 


mi 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


15^ 


by  countless  lakes,  rivers  and  streams,  most  of 
which  are  navigable.  One  is  scarcely  troubled  at  all 
by  musquitoes  or  other  noxious  creatures,=^  and  by 
cultivating  the  ground,  people  could  subsist  there 
from  the  second  year,  independent  of  provisions 
from  Europe. 

This  vast  continent  will  be  able  in  a  short  time 
to  supply  all  our  West  India  islands  with  bread, 
wine  and  meat,  and  our  French  buccaneers  and 
fillibusters  will  be  able  to  kill  wild  cattle  in 
greater  abundance  in  Louisiana  than  in  all  the 
rest  of  the  islands,  which  they  occupy. 

There  are  mines  of  coal,  slate,  iron,  and  the 
lumps  of  pure  red  copper  which  are  found  in 
various  places,  indicate  that  there  are  mines  and 
perhaps  other  metals  and  minerals,  which  will 
one  day  be  discovered,  inasmuch  as  a  salt  and 
alum  f  spring  has  already  been  found  among  the 
Iroquois. 

We  continued  our  route  on  the  river  Seignelay 

*  The  rest  of  this  paragraph  and  the  next  omitted  in  Margry. 

t  Margry  has  "  salt,   alum  and   sulphur,"    i    p.  466.     The 
Nouv,  Dec,  p.  196,  reads  "sah  of  alum." 


I'j. 


t  .: 


f 


I  • 


152 


A    DESCRIPTION 


'I     . 


during  the  rest  of  the  month  of  December ;  and 
at  last  after  having  sailed  for  a  hundred  and 
twenty  or  a  hundred  and  thirty  leagues  from 
Lake  Dauphin  on  the  river  Seignelay,  we  arrived 
at  the  village  of  the  Islinois  towards  the  close  of 
the  month  of  December,  1679.*  We  killed  on 
the  river  bank  only  a  single  buffalo,  and  some 
poules  d'inde,  because  the  Indians  having  set  lire 
to  the  dry  grass  of  all  the  prairies  on  our  route, 
the  deer  had  taken  fright,  and  with  all  the 
skill  adopted  in  hunting,  we  subsisted  only  by  a 
pure  Providence  of  God,  who  gives  strength  at 
one  time  that  he  does  not  at  another,  and  by  the 
greatest  happiness  in  the  world,  when  we  had 
nothing  any  more  to  eat,  we  found  an  enormous 
buffalo  mired  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  that 
twelve  of  our  men  had  difficulty  in  dragging  to 
solid  ground  with  a  cable. 

This  Islinois  f  village  is  situated  at  forty  de- 

♦Margry  has  January  1,  1680.     He  says  two  buffalo,  ami 
omits  from  '  because  "  to  "  cable." 

fThe  Nouv.  Decouv.,  inserts  here  "The  etymology  of  the 
word  Illinois  comes  as  we  have  said  from  the  term  Illini,  which 


OF    LOUISIANA.  15^^ 

grees  of  latitude  in  a  somewhat  marshy  plain,  and 
on  the  right  bank  of  a  river  as  broad  as  the  Seine 
before  Paris,  which  is  divided^^  by  very  beautiful 
islands.  It  contains  four  hundred  and  sixty  cabins, 
made  like  long  arbors  and  covered  with  double 
mats  of  flat  flags,  so  well  sewed,  that  they  are 
never  penetrated  by  wind,  snow  or  rain.  Each 
cabin  has  four  or  five  fires,  and  each  fire  has  one 
or  two  families,  who  all  live  together  in  a  good 
understanding. f 

As    we   had   foreseen,^  we   found   the  village 
e'"pty,.^  all  the   Indians  having  gone  to  pass   the 

ill  the  language  of  this  nation  signifies  a  perfect  or  complete 
man  just  as  the  word  Alleman  signifies  all  men,  as  though  they 
wished  to  intimate  that  a  German  has  the  heart  and  bravery  of 
all  the  men  of  any  nation  whatever."  lliniwek  means  "we 
are  men."  In  the  form  irini,  lenni,  itcnters  into  many  names 
of  Algonquin  tribes. 

*  Meuse  before  Namur.  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  197.  For  the 
position  of  the  village,  see  Parkman's  Disc,  of  the  Great  West 
p.  156.      It  was  near  the  present  village  of  Utica. 

t  As  to  the  population,  compare  Marquette,  Discovery  of 
the  Mississippi,  p.  56  ;  Voyages  p.  98  ;  Allouez.  Rel  ,  1673-9, 
p.  129  ;  Discov.,  p.  74;    Membre  in  LeClercq.,  ii,  p.  173. 

I  This  is  supported  by  La  Salle's  Letter,  Sept.  29,  1680, 
Margry  ii,  p.  36. 

§  Dec.  31,  Tonty  in  Margry,  i  p.  581.     He  makes  lat.  39° 

14 


w 


'54 


A    DESCRIPTION 


; 


winter  hunting  in  various  places  according  to 
their  custom.  Their  absence,  nevertheless,  put 
us  in  great  embarrassment;  provisions  failed  and 
we  durst  not  take  the  Indian  corn  which  the 
Islinois  hide  in  trenches  under  ground  to  preserve 
it,  and  use  on  their  return  from  the  hunt  for 
planting  and  subsistence  till  harvest.  This  stock 
is  extremely  precious  in  their  eyes,  and  you  could 
not  give  them  greater  offense  than  by  touching 
it  in  their  absence.  Nc\'ertheless,  as  there  was  no 
possibility  of  our  risking  a  further  descent  without 
food,  and  the  lire  that  had  been  set  to  the  prairies 
had  driven  off  all  the  animals,  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle  resolved  to  take  twenty  ''^  bushels  of  Indian 
corn,  hoping  that  he  would  be  able  to  appease  the 
Islinois  by  some  means. 

The  same  day  we  reembarked  with  this  new 
supply,  and  for  four  days  we  descended  the  same 
river,  which  runs  south  by  west. 

On  f  the  first  day  of  the  year  1679,];  discov- 

*  Margry  has  30,  Tonty  40. 
f  This  paragraph  not  in  Margry. 

:j:  1680  ill   Nouv.    Dec,   p.    199,  and   down  to   "winters" 
omitted. 


Of     LOUISIANA. 


155 


eringone  of  our  deserters,  of  whom  I  have  here- 
tofore spoken,  and  that  he  had  returned  to  us,  only 
to  seduce  our  men,  who,  moreover,  were  dis- 
posed to  abandon  us,  through  the  fear  they  had 
ot  suffering  hunger  during  the  winter,  I  made 
an  exhortation  after  the  mass,  wishing  a  Happy 
New  Year  to  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  and  all  our 
party,  and  after  the  most  touching  words,  I  begged 
all  our  malcontents  to  arm  themselves  with 
patience,  representing  to  them  that  God  would 
provide  for  all  our  wants,  and  that  if  we  lived  in 
concert,  he  would  raise  up  means  to  enable  us  to 
subsist.  Father  Gabriel,  Father  Zenobius  and  I 
embraced  them  with  the  most  affectionate  senti- 
ments, encouraging  them  to  continue  so  important 
a  discovery. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  fourth  day,  while 
crossing  a  little  lake  formed  by  the  river,*  we 
observed  smoke,  which  showed  us  that  the  In- 

*  Lake  Peoria.  The  Nouv.  Dec.  here  abandons  the  original 
narrative  and  copies  almost  literally  from  Le  Clercq,  Etablisse- 
ment  dc  la  Foi,  ii,  pp.  153-9,  beginning  "called  Pimiteoui." 
Nouv.  Decouv.,  np.  aoo-7.  See  Discovery  of  the  Mississippi, 
pp.  94-6,  La  Salle  in  Margry,  ii,  p.  37. 


^. 


156 


A    DESCRIPTION 


'^    : 


;    1: 


dians  were  cabined  near  there.  In  fact,  on  the 
fifth,*  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  saw 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  a  number  of  parrakeets  f 
and  about  eighty  cabins  full  of  Indians,  who  did 
not  perceive  our  canoes,  until  we  had  doubled 
a  point,  behind  which  the  Islinois  were  camped 
within  half  gun  shot.  We  were  in  eight  canoes, 
abreast,  all  our  men  arms  in  hand,  and  allowing 
ourselves  to  go  with  the  current  of  the  river. 

We  f  first  gave  the  cry  according  to  the  custom 
of  these  nations,  as  though  to  ask  whether  they 
wished  peace  or  war,  because  it  was  very  im- 
portant to  show  resolution  at  the  outset.  At 
first  the  old  men,  the  women  and  children  took 
flight  across  the  woods  by  which  the  river  is 
bordered,  the  warriors  ran  to  arms,  but  with  so 
much  confusion,  that  before  they  recovered  them- 
selves, our  canoes  had  touched  land.  The  Sieur 
de  la  Salle  was  the  first  to  leap  ashore. 

*  Tonty  in  Margry,  i  p.  53,  and  Le  Clercq.,  ii,  p.  153,  say 
Jan.  4,  1680,  La  Salle,  ii,  p.  37,  has  however  5th, 

fThe  French  printer  put  peroquets.  but  Margry's  Relation 
gives  the  real  word  "  pirogues,"  "  canoes."  Compare  La  Salle's 
letter  Margry  ii,  p.  37. 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


^S7 


The  Indians  might  have  been  routed  in  the 
disorder  they  were  in ;  but  as  this  was  not  our 
design,  we  hahed  in  order  to  give  the  Islinois 
time  to  regain  confidence.  One  of  their  chiefs 
who  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  who 
had  observed  that  we  had  refrained  from  firing 
on  seven  or  eight  Indians  whom  we  might  easily 
have  killed,  began  a  harangue  to  stop  the  young 
men  who  were  preparing  to  discharge  arrows 
across  the  river.  Those  who  were  encamped  on 
the  side  where  wc  had  landed,  and  who  had 
taken  flight  at  first,  having  understood  the  situa- 
tion, sent  two  of  the  chief  men  among  them  to 
present  the  calumet  from  the  top  of  a  hill,  soon 
after  those  who  were  on  tne  other  side  did  the 
same  thing  and  then  we  gave  them  to  understand 
that  we  accepted  the  peace ;  and  ^'  at  the  same 
time  I  proceeded  in  haste  with  Father  Zenobius 
in  the  direction  of  the  Indians  who  had  taken 
llight,  taking   their  children   by  the  hand,  who 

*  The  following  down  to  "  missionaries  "  is  not  in  Margry. 


11 

!  1 


158 


A    DESCRIPTION 


were  all  trembling  with  fear ;  we  manifested 
much  affection  for  them,  entering  with  the  old 
men  and  the  mothers  ^  into  the  cabins,  taking 
compassion  on  these  souls,  which  are  going  to 
destruction,  being  deprived  of  the  word  of  God 
and  lacking  missionaries.  The  joy  of  both  was 
as  great  as  their  fear  had  been  violent ;  that  of 
some  having  been  such  that  it  was  two  f  days  be- 
fore they  returned  from  the  places  to  which  they 
had  gone  to  hide. 

After;};  the  rejoicings,  the  dances  and  feasts  to 
which  they  devoted  the  day,  we  assembled  the 
chiefs  of  the  villages,  which  were  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  ;  we^  made  known  by  our  interpreter, 
that  we,  Recollects,  had  not  come  among  them  to 
gather  beaver,  but  to  give  them  a  knowledge  ot 
the  great   Master   of   Life,  and  to  instruct  their 

*  The  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  202,  has  Maitres,  here  for  meres. 

t  "  Three  "  in  Margry,  i  p.  468,  ii,  p.  38. 

I  Down  to  "  friendship  "  omiued  in  Margry. 

§  "  We  told  them  that  we  had  come  among  them  only  to  make 
known  to  them  the  true  God,  to  protect  them  against  their  ene- 
mies and  to  bring  them  fire  arms  of  which  they  had  no  knowl- 
edge, and  the  other  comforts  of  life.  We  heard,  etc."  Nouv. 
Dec,  p.  203. 


U 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


*59 


children  ;  that  we  had  left  our  country  which  was 
beyond  the  sea  to  come  and  dwell  among  them, 
and  to  be  of  the  number  of  their  greatest  friends. 
We  heard  a  great  chorus  of  voices,  Tepatoui 
Nicka,  which  means  :  "  See  what  is  good,  my 
brother,  you  have  a  mind  well  made  to  conceive 
this  thought,"  and  at  the  same  time  they  rubbed 
our  legs  down  to  the  sole  of  the  feet  near  the  fire 
with  bear's  oil  and  buffalo  grease  to  relieve  our 
fatigue.  They  put  the  first  three  morsels  of  meat 
in  our  mouth  with  extraordinary  marks  of  friend- 
ship. 

Immediately  after  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  made 
them  a  present  of  tobacco  and  some  axes.  He 
told  them  that  he  had  convoked  them  to  treat  of 
an  affair,  which  he  wished  to  explain  to  them, 
before  he  spoke  to  them  of  any  other  ;  that  he 
knew  how  necessary  corn  -^  was  to  them ;  that 
nevertheless,  the  want  of  provisions  in  which  he 
found  himself  on  arriving  at  their  village,  and  the 

*  "  The  corn  they  had  in  reserve."  Margry,  i,  p.  468,  ii,  p. 
39.  This  account  is  substantially  the  same  in  La  Salle's  letter,  ii, 
p.  32,  etc. 


i6o 


A     DESCRIPTION 


1    ■    1 

'    1 


impossibility  of  rinding  any  game  on  the  prairies, 
had  obliged  him  to  take  a  certain  quantity  of  In- 
dian corn,  which  he  had  in  his  canoes,  and  which 
he  had  not  yet  touched;  that  it' they  were  willing 
to  leave  it  in  his  hands,  he  would  give  them  in  ex- 
change axes  and  other  things  which  they  needed, 
and  that  if  they  could  not  spare  it,  they  were  free 
to  take  it  back  ;  but  that  if  they  could  not  supply 
him  the  provisions  necessary  for  his  subsistence 
and  that  of  his  men,  he  would  go  to  their  neighbors 
the  Osages,  "•'  who  would  furnish  him  some  on 
paying  for  it,  and  that  in  return  he  would  leave 
with  them  the  blacksmith  whom  he  had  brought 
to  mend  their  axes  and  other  instruments.^ 

He  spoke  to  them  in  this  manner,  because  he 
was  well  aware  that  the  Is!inois  would  not  fail  to 
bejealousof  the  advantages  that  the  French  might 
give    their    neighbors,   and   especially    that    they 

*  These  words  omitte^l  in  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  205. 

f  "  Which  we  Europeans  might  give  them  in  future.  The 
Indians  granted  Mr.  de  la  Salle  what  he  wished  and  we  made 
an  alliance  with  them.  To  render  this  alliance  firm  and  in. 
violable  which  we  contracted  with  the  Illinois,  we  had  to  take 
several  necessary  precautions." 


I  > 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


i6i 


would  derive  from  a  blacksmith,  of  whom  they 
were  themselves  excessively  in  need.  They 
accordingly  accepted  with  great  demonstrations 
of  joy  the  payment  that  he  offered  them  for  their 
Indian  corn.  They  even  gave  more  and  earnestly 
begged  us  to  settle  among  them. 

We  answered  that  we  would  do  so  willingly, 
but  that  as  the  Iroquois  were  subjects  of  the 
king  and  consequently  our  brethren,  we  could 
not  make  war  on  them  ;  that  for  this  reason  we 
exhorted  them  to  make  peace  with  that  nation, 
that  we  would  aid  them  to  do  so,  and  that  if  in 
spite  of  our  remonstrances,  that  haughty  nation 
came  to  attack  them,  we  would  defend  them 
provided  they  permitted  us  to  build  a  fort,  in 
which  we  could  make  head  against  the  Iroquois 
with  the  few  Frenchmen  that  we  had  ;  that  we 
would  even  furnish  them  arms  and  ammunition, 
provided  they  used  them  only  to  repel  their  ene- 
mies, and  did  not  employ  against  the  nations  that 
lived  under  the  protection  of  the  king  whom  the 
Indians  call  the  Great  Chief  who  is  beyond  the 
great  lake. 


HM 


i 


162 


A    DESCRIPTION 


i 


We  then  added  that  we  also  intended  to  bring 
over  other  P'renchmen  who  would  protect  them 
from  the  attacks  of  all  their  enemies,  and  would 
furnish  all  that  they  needed  ;  that  we  were  hin- 
dered only  by  the  length  and  difficulty  of  the  way. 
That  to  surmount  this  obstacle,  we  had  resolved 
to  build  a  great  wooden  canoe  to  sail  down  to 
the  sea,  and  bring  them  all  kinds  of  merchandise 
by  that  shorter  and  more  easy  way.  But  as  this 
enterprise  required  a  great  outlay,  we  wished  to 
learn  whether  their  rii'er  was  navigable  to  the 
sea,  and  whether  other   Europeons  dwelt  near  its 

mouth. 

The  Islinois  replied  that  they  accepted  all  our 
proposals,  and  that  they  would  assist  us  as  far  as 
they  could.  Then  they  gave  a  description  of  the 
river  Colbert  or  Meschasipi ;  they  told  us  won- 
ders of  its  width,  and  beauty,  and  they  assured  us 
that  the  navigation  was  free  and  easy,  and  that 
there  were  no  Europeans  near  its  mouth;  but 
what  most  convinced  us  that  this  river  was  navi- 
gable, is  that  they  named  four  nations  to  us,  of 
whom  there  is   mention  in  the  Relation  of  the 


'        t 


■I 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


163 


Voyage  of  Ferdinand  Soto,  in  Florida  ;  these  are, 
the  Tula,  Casquin,*  Cicaca  and  Daminoia.  They 
added  that  prisoners  whom  they  had  taken  in  war 
in  the  direction  of  the  sea,  said  that  they  had  seen 
ships  far  out  which  made  discharges,  that  re- 
sembled thunder,  but  that  they  were  not  settled 
on  the  coast,  because  if  they  were  there,  they 
(the  Indians),  would  not  neglect  to  go  and  trade 
with  them,  the  sea  being  distant  only  twenty 
days  in  their  canoes. 

The  f  day  passed  in  this  way  to  our  mutual 
satisfaction,  but  things  did  not  remain  long  in  this 
state. 


*  Ciuquh  in  Margry  p.  470.  For  these  places  see  Smith's 
Narratives  of  the  Career  of  Hernando  dc  Soto,  Tula,  pp.  305  ; 
Casqui,  no,  250  ;  Chicasa.  92,  247;  Aminoya,  167.  The 
term  Chitasa  is  easily  identified,  as  the  tribe  held  the  same 
territory  from  the  days  of  De  Soto  to  the  present  century. 
Casqui  may  be  Kaskaskia,  but  it  is  not  easy  to  see  how  La 
Salle  recognized  Tula  and  Aminoya  in  any  Indian  tribe  of  his 
time. 

t  Paragraph  omitted  in  Margry,  i  p.  470,  but  appears  partly 
in  La  Salle's  letter,  ii,  p.  4 1. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  T '  RGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


la  125 


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IIIILM    |||||22 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4S03 


&^ 


fr'     C<'< 


Q' 


Cp. 


\ 


m 


164 


A     DESCRIPTION 


-■! 


It 


M 


>l  1 1  r 


The  next  day  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Miamis  * 
named  Monso,  arrived  accompanied  by  five  or  six 
others  loaded  with  kettles,  axes,  and  knives  in 
order  by  these  presents  to  prepare  the  mind  of  the 
Islinois  to  believe  what  he  was  to  say  to  them.  He 
secretly  assembled  the  sachems  and  assured  them 
that  we  f  intended  to  go  and  join  their  enemies, 
who  live  beyond  the  great  river  Colbert,  ;|]that 
we  would  furnish  them  arms  and  ammunition, 
and  that  after  having  assembled  them  we  would 
join  the  Iroquois,  and  hem  them  in  on  all  sides 
to  exterminate  them  entirely ;  that  we  were 
friends  of  the  Iroquois,  that  the  French  had  a 
fort  in  the  midst  of  the  Iroquois  country,  that 
we  would  furnish  them  arms  and  powder,  and 
that  there  was  no  other  means  of  avoiding  their 
ruin,  than  by  preventing  our  voyage  or  at  least 
delaying  it,   because  a   part  of  our  men   would 

*  From  F.  Allouez's  mission  according  to  LaSalle's  letter, 
Margry  ii  p.  41,  100,  where  Monso  is  said  to  mean  a  Deer,  but 
the  Chippewa  Mons,  is  our  Moose,  Baraga  p.  252.  The 
Nouv.  Dec,  calls  him  a  Maskoutens. 

t  "  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  "  is  here  and  generally  in  Margry 
substituted  for  Hennepin's  "  wc.' 

X  Omitted  in  Margry. 


'!t 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


i6s 


soon  abandon  us,  and  that  they  should  not  believe 
anything  we  might  tell  them. 

After  having  said  many  things  of  the  kind,  the 
Miami  chief  returned  by  night  with  as  much 
secresy  as  he  came  lest  we  might  discover  all  this 
mystery. 

Nevertheless  one  of  the  Islinois  chiefs  named 
Omaouha  '■'•'•  whom  we  had  gained  on  arriving  by 
a  present  of  two  axes  and  three  knives,  came  to 
see  us  the  next  morning  and  secretly  informed  us 
of  all  that  had  passed.  We  thanked  him  and  to 
induce  him  to  keep  us  informed  of  all  that  went 
on,  we  made  him  a  new  present  of  powder  and 
lead,f  easily  judging  that  this  Miamis  had  been 
sent  and  instructed  by  other  Frenchmen,  jealous 
of  our  success,  because  this  Monso  did  not  know 
us,  and  had  not  even  been  within  four  hun- 
dred leagues  of  Fort  Frontenac,  and  that  never- 
theless, he   had   spoken   of  our     affairs  with  as 

*  Omoahoha,  in  Margry  i  p.  471,  ii  p.  42,  where  La  Salle 
calls  him  chief  of"  the  Koeracoenetanoii.  He  is  not  mentioned 
in  the  Nouv.  Decouv. 

t  "The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  and  all  his  men  judged,  etc.,"  in 
Margry,  and  "  us,  our,"  reads  "  him,  his." 


T 


1 66 


A    DESCRIPTION 


m 


^•'^ 


in 


mt' 


«■»• 


iii^  J. 

il    : 

I- 


1  '  i  ■ ' 


i       .H:| 

|;  ;:■  |,| 

l'iM\ 

mE 

much  detail  and  circumstantiality  as  though  he 
had  known  us  all  his  life. 

This  affair  gave  us  all  the  more  uneasiness, 
because  we  knew  that  Indians  are  naturally  sus- 
picious and  because  many  bad  impressions  had 
already  been  made  on  our  men  to  induce  them  to 
desert,  as  •*  six  of  their  comrades  had  already  done 
at  one  stroke. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Nicanape, 
brother  of  Chassagouasse,|  the  most  important 
of  the  Islinois  chiefs,  who  was  then  absent,  invited 
us  all  to  a  feast,  and  when  all  were  seated  in  the 
cabin,  Nicanape  took  the  word,  and  made  us  'I 
an  address  very  different  from  those  which  the 
sachems  had  made  us  at  his  arrival,  saying  that  he 
had  not  invited  us,  so  much  to  give  us  good 
cheer  as  to  cure  our  mind  of  the  disease  which 
we   had,    wishing   to    descend    the    great    river, 

*  "  Their  comrades  had  done  at  Missilimakinak,"  Margry. 

t  Chassagoac.     lb.     He  accompanied  F.  Marquette   from 
Green  Bay.     Disc,  of  the  Mississippi,  p.  259. 

I  Margry   has  ''the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,"  and  apparently  this 
was  Hennepin's  original  reading. 


T 


IVBHW 


■■MP 


■■■«■■ 


OF    LOUISIANA.  1 67 

which  no  one  had  ever  yet  done  without  perish- 
ing  there,  that   its  banks  were   inhabited   by  an 
infinite  number  of  barbarous  nations,  who  would 
overwhehn  the  French  by  their  numbers,  what- 
ever arms  and  whatever  valor  they  might  possess; 
that    this   river    was   full  of   monsters,   tritons,* 
crocodiles,  and  serpents,    and  even  if  the  size  of 
our  canoe  should   protect   us  from    this  danger, 
there  was  another  and  inevitable  one,  that  the 
lower  part  of  the  river  was  full  of  falls  and  preci- 
pices with    a  current  above  them  so   evident,f 
that    men    go    down     helplessly,    and  that    all 
these    precipices    ended    in   a   gulf    where    the 
river    was     lost     under    ground,     without     any 
one's  knowing  whither  it  went.     He  added  to 
this  so   many  circumstances   and   pronounced  his 
address  so  seriously  with  so  many  marks  of  good 
will,  that  our  men  who  were  not  all  accustomed 
to  the  manners  of  the  Indians  and  two  I  of  whom 
understood  the  language,  were  shaken  by  it.     We 
marked  their  apprehension  in  their  faces,   but  as 

*  Tritons,  crocodiles  omitted  in  Margry. 

t  "  Violent,"  in  Margry. 

X  Two  or  three,  Margry  i,  p.  472. 


i68 


A    DESCRIPTION 


IP 


I'll 


ii. 


1=-:.! 


I  -1; 


it  is  not  the  custom  to  interrupt  Indians,  and  by 
doing  so,  we  should  only  have  increased  the  sus- 
picion of  our  men,  we  let  liim  finish  his  speech 
in  peace,  and  then  we  replied  without  any  emo- 
tion, that  we  were  very  much  obliged  to  him  tor 
the  information  he  gave  us,  and  that  we  should 
acquire  all  the  more  glory,  if  we  found  difficulties 
to  overcome ;  that  we  all  served  *  the  great 
Master  of  the  life  of  men,  and  him  f  who  was 
the  greatest  of  all  the  chiefs  who  commanded 
beyond  the  sea :  that  we  esteemed  ourselves 
happy  to  die,  while  bearing  '^  the  name  of  both 
to  the  very  end  of  the  earth  ;  but  that  we  feared 
that  all  that  he  had  told  us,  was  only  an  invention 
of  his  friendship  to  prevent  our  leaving  his  nation, 
or  rather  that  it  was  only  an  artifice  of  some  evil 
spirit  who  had  given  them  some  distrust  of  our 

*  Down  to  "who  was ''  omitted.     Margry. 

t  Of  our  chiefs ;  that  he  commanded  the  sea  and  all  the 
world  i  that  we  should  deem  ourselves  happy  to  die  bearing  the 
name  of  the  great  chief  of  heaven  and  of  him  who  had  sent  us 
to  the  end  of  the  world.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  210, 

J  His  name.     lb. 


OF    LOUISIANA.  169 

plans,  although  they  were  full  of  sincerity ;  that 
if  the  Islinois  had  any  real  friendship  for  us,  they 
should  not  dissemble  the  grounds  of  their  uneasi- 
ness;  from  which  we  should  endeavor  to  deliver 
them,  that  otherwise  we  should  have  reason  to 
believe,  that  the  friendship  they  manifested  for 
us  on  our  arrival  was  only  on  their  lips. 

Nicanape  remained  unable  to  reply,  and  pre- 
senting us  food  changed  his  discourse.* 

After  the  meal  our  interpreter  f  took  up  the 
word  again,  and  told  him  that  we  were  not  sur- 
prised that  their  neighbors  became  jealous  of  the 
advantages,  that  they  would  receive  from  the 
trade  which  they  were  going  to  have  with  the 
French,  nor  that  they  should  spread  reports  to 
our  damage,  but  that  he  was  astonished  to  see 
them  so  easy  to  give  them  credence,  and  that 
they  concealed  them  from  the  French,+  who  had 
so  frankly  revealed  to  them  all  their  designs. 

*  All  this  is  substantiated  by  La  Salle's  letter,  Margry  ii,  p 
43-4- 

t  The  Si.'ur  de  la  Salle,  lb. 
I  A  man,  lb. 
16 


"  ^f'^^^WWWP^?*^ 


'  li 


170 


A     DESCRIPTION 


}f 


"  We  were  not  asleep,  brother,"  he  added, 
addressing  Nicanape,  "when  Monso  spoke  to  you 
in  secret  at  night  to  the  prejudice  of  the  French, 
whom  he  depicted  to  you  as  spies  of  the  Iroquois. 
The  presents  that  he  made  you  to  convince  you 
of  his  Hes  are  still  secreted  in  this  cabin.  Why 
did  he  take  flight  imnrediately  afterwards  ?  Why 
did  he  not  show  himself  by  day,  if  he  had  only 
truth  to  tell  ?  Have  you  not  seen  that  at  our 
arrival  we  might  have  killed  your  nephews,  and 
that  in  the  confusion  prevailing  among  them,  we 
might  have  done  alone,  what  they  wish  to  per- 
suade you,  we  will  execute  with  the  help  of  the 
Iroquois,  after  we  are  settled  among  you,  and 
have  formed  a  friendship  with  your  nation  ?  At 
this  moment  that  I  am  addressing  you,  could  not 
our  French,  kill  all  of  you,  old  men  that  you  are, 
while  your  young  men  are  off  at  the  hunt ;  do 
you  not  know  that  the  Iroquois,  whom  you  fear, 
have  experienced  the  valor  of  the  French,  and 
that  consequently  we  should  not  need  their  help, 
if  we  intended  to  make  war  on  you.  But  to  cure 
your  mind  entirely,  run  after  this  imposter,  whom 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


171 


we  will  wait  here  to  convict  and  confound.  How 
does  he  know  us,^=  since  he  has  never  seen  us,  and 
how  can  he  know  the  plots  which  he  says  we 
have  formed  with  the  Iroquois,  whom  he  knows 
as  little  as  he  does  us  ?  Look  at  our  stores,  they 
are  only  tools  and  goods  that  can  but  serve  us  to 
do  you  good,  and  which  are  not  suited  either  for 
attacking  or  for  retreating." 

These  words  influenced  them  and  induced  them 
to  dispatch  runners    after  Monso  to  bring  him 
back,  but  the  heavy  sno\Y     that   fell   by  night 
before  and  which  covered  his  tracks,  prevented 
th.iir  overtaking  him  ;  nevertheless  our  French- 
men who  had  been   alarmed  already,  were  not 
relieved  of  their  false  fears.     Six  of  them   who 
were  on  guard,  and  f  among  them  two  pit-saw- 
yers,  without  whom  we  could  not  make  a  bark 
to  go  to  the  sea,  fled  the  next  night,  after  having 
carried  ofl^  whatever  they  thought  likely  to  be 
necessary  to   them,  and   exposed   themselves  to  a 
danger  of  perishing   and  dying  of  hunger  much 

*  All  this  is  in  the  first  person  in  Margry,  "  mv  "  "  mv 
people,"  "me."  "  ^ 

t  Margry  omits  to  "  sea." 


T 


'•I 


172 


A    DESCRIPTION 


;): 


I 

' 

I 

'h 

^ 

■w 

T 

r 

(, 

i 

f 

1 

more   certain   than  that   which   they   sought  to 
avoid.* 

The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  having  gone  out  of  his 
cabin  in  the  morning  and  finding  no  one  on  duty, 
he  entered  the  cabins  of  his  men,  and  found  one 
where  there  was  only  a  single  man  left,  whom 
his  comrades  had  not  notified,  because  he  was 
suspected  by  them.  He  called  them  all  together 
and  asked  for  information  in  regard  to  these 
deserters.  Then  he  expressed  his  displeasure 
that  they  should  have  deserted  against  the  King's 
orders  and  all  justice,  and  abandoned  him  at  the 
time  when  they  were  most  necessary  to  him, 
after  he  had  done  everything  for  them.  To 
counteract  the  bad  impression  that  this  desertion 
might  produce  in  the  mind  of  the  Islinois  he 
ordered  them  to  say  that  their  comrades  had  gone 
off  by  his  order,  and  said  that  he  was  well  able 
to  pursue  and  punish  them  as  an  example,  but 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  let  the  Indians  know  how 
little  fidelity  there  was  among  the  French.     He 

*  The  proceedings  against  these  deserters  will  be  fouud  in 
Margry  2  p.  1Q3,  etc. 


1- 


OP    LOUISIANA. 


^7Z 


exhorted  them  to  be  more  faithful  to  him  than 
these  runaways,  and  not  to  go  to  such  extremes 
through  fear  of  the  dangers  which  Nicanap6  had 
falsely  exaggerated  to  them  ;  that  he  did  not  in- 
tend to  take  with  him  any  but  those  who  would 
wish  to  accompany  him  willingly,  and  that  he 
would  give  them  his  word  to  leave  the  others  at 
liberty  in  the  spring  to  return  to  Canada,  whither 
they  might  go  without  risk  and  by  canoe, 
whereas  they  could  not  then  undertake  it  but 
with  evident  peril  of  their  lives,  and  with  the 
disgrace  of  having  basely  abandoned  him,  by  a 
conspiracy  which  could  not  remain  unpunished 
on  their  arrival  in  Canada.  * 

He  endeavored  to  reassure  in  this  way,  but 
knowing  their  inconstancy,  and  dissembling  the 
chagrin  he  felt  at  their  lack  of  resolution,  he  re- 
solved to  remove  them  from  the  Indians,  to  pre- 
clude any  new  subornations,  and  in  order  to  make 
them  consent  without  murmuring,  he  told  them 
that  they  were  not  in  security  among  the  Islinois ; 
that  moreover  such   a  stay  exposed  them  to  the 

*  At  Quebec,     Margry  i,  p.  475. 


HI 


irfi43S!j1ip«(S^«SSIBss 


I' 


I' 


•Il 


IM 


174 


A     DESCRIPTION 


arms  of  the  Iroquois,  who  perhaps  might  come 
before  *  winter  to  attack  the  village,  that  the 
Islinois  were  not  capable  of  making  any  resistance 
to  them,  that  apparently  they  would  take  flight 
at  the  first  shock,  and  that  th«.  Iroquois  would 
not  be  able  to  overtake  them,  because  the  Islinois 
run  much  faster  than  they  do  ;  they  would  vent 
their  rage  on  the  French  whose  small  number 
would  be  incapable  of  making  head  against  these 
savages ;  that  there  was  only  one  remedy,  and 
that  was  to  fortify  themselves  in  some  post  easy 
of  defence  ;  that  he  had  found  one  of  this  kind 
near  the  village,  where  they  would  be  proof 
aj,''inst  the  insults  of  the  Islinois  and  the  arms  of 
the  Iroquois,  who  would  not  be  able  to  storm  them 
there,  and  who  for  this  reason  would  not  under- 
take to  attack  them.f 

These  reasons  and  some  others   of  that  kind 
which  J    I    made    them,    persuaded    them,    and 


h 


*  Margry  reads:  "  During  the,"  "  Villages." 

f  All  this  confirmed  by  La  Salle's  letter.     Margry  ii,  p.  47 

I  This  clause  not  in  Margry. 


(li 


T 


w 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


175 


brought  all  to  work  with  a  good  grace  *  in 
building  a  fort  which  was  called  Crevecoeur  f 
situated  four  days'  journey  from  the  great  village 
of  the  Islinois  descending  towards  the  river 
Colbert.]; 

*  For  the  rest  of  this  sentence  Marjory  reads :  "  on  a  very 
•cvere  undertaking  for  so  small  a  party."  Tonty  in  Margry  i, 
p.  583,  makes  the  fort  begun  Jany.  15,  1680. 

t  The  name  is  not  given  in  the  Nouv.  Dec.  The  account 
of  this  council  there,  pp.  207-216,  is  substantially  the  same  as 
here  given. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that  La  Salle  dejected  at  the  loss 
of  the  Griffin  and  his  increasing  difficulties  called  this  fort 
Crcvecoeur,  Broken  Heart, on  that  account.  TheTonty  of  1697, 
so  asserts  ;  but  at  a  moment  when  La  Salle  sought  to  encourage 
his  men  he  would  not  be  likely  to  do  this.  As  Louis  XIV, 
had  recently  demolished  Fort  CreveccEur,  a  stronghold  in  the 
Netherlands  near  Bois-lc-Duc,  captured  by  him,  in  1672, 
Zedler's  Univ.  Lexicon  vi,  p.  161 2-3,  the  name  may  have  been 
a  compliment  to  that  monarch  ;  and  this  would  explain  the 
omission  of  the  name  in  the  Nouv.  Decouverte  published  in 
Holland.  Parkman,  Discovery,  p.  168,  says  that  the  site  of 
the  fort  is  still  recognizable  a  little  below  Peoria,  It  was  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river.  Franquelin's  map. 

I  The  Nouv.  Decouv.,  pp  217-222,  here  introduces  matter 
from  LeClercq  ii  pp.  1 73-181.  Discovery  of  the  Miss- 
issippi, pp.  150-2,  making  however  Miamis  southwest  of  Lake 
Michigan  where  LeClercq  has  south  by  east. 


■li 

I 

I 


:''i 


'PI 


i 


■      ! 
t 


176 


A    DESCRIPTION 


A  great*  thaw  having    set  in  on  the   15th  of 

January,  and  rendered  the  river  free  below  the 

village,   the   Sieur    de   la  Salle   begged  f    me   to 

accompany  him,  and  we  proceeded  with  one  ot 

our  canoes  to  the  place  which  we  were  going  to 

select  to  work  at  this  little  fort.      It  was  a  little 

mound  about  two  hundred  paces  distant  from  the 

bank   of  the  river,    which   in   the  season  of  the 

rains,  extends  to  the  foot  of  it  ;   two  broad  deep 

ravines  protected  two  other  sides  and  a  part  of 

the  fourth,  which  we  completely  entrenched  by 

a  ditch   which  united   the   two  ravines.     Their 

exterior  slope  which  served  as  a  counterscarp,  was 

fortified,  we   made  |"   chevaux    de   frise    and  cut 

this  eminence  down  steep  on  all  sides,  and  the 

earth  was  supported  as  much    as  was  necessary 

with  strong  pieces  of  timber,  with  thick  planks,§ 

*  From  this  place  to  "  after  our  departure,"   is  substantially 
the  same  in  the  Nouv.  Decouv,  pp.  223-9. 

f  "  Proceeded  with  all   his  canoes  to  the   spot  which  he  had 
selected  to  build  a  fort."     Margry  t,  p.  176. 

t  For  "  we  made,"  Margry  reads  "  with  good." 
§  The  Nouv.  Dec,  omits  to  "  barracks." 


I'' 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


177 


and  for  fear  of  any  surprise,  we  planted  a  stockade 
around,  the  timbers  of  which  were  twenty-five 
feet  long  and  a  foot  thick.*  The  summit  of  the 
mound  was  left  in  its  natural  figure,  which  formed 
an  irregular  square,  and  we  contented  ourselves 
with  putting  on  the  edge  a  good  parapet  of  earth 
capable  of  covering  all  our  force,  whose  barracks 
were  placed  in  two  of  f  the  angles  of  this  fort,  in 
order  that  they  might  be  always  ready  in  case  of 
attack.  Fathers  Gabriel,  Zenoble  and  1 1'  lodged 
in  a  cabin  covered  with  boards,  which  we  ad- 
justed with  the  help  of  our  workmen  and  in 
which  we  retired  after  work,§  all  our  people  for 
evening  and  morning  prayer,  and  where,  being 
unable  any  longer  to  say  mass,  the  wine  which  we 
had  made  from  the  large  grapes  of  the  country 
having  just  failed  us,  we  contented  ourselves  with 

*  Twenty  teet  long  and  stout  in  proportion,  Margry. 

t  Margry  omits  "two  of." 

J  The  Recollects  were  lodged  in  the  ihird.  The  store  house 
solidly  constructed  was  placed  on  the  fourth,  and  the  forge 
along  the  curtain,  which,  etc.,  Margry  i,  p.  477,  compare  La 
Salle's  letter  ii,  p.  49. 

§  Supply  "  and  gathered." 


1    } 


u 


'I  I 

If. 


p.' 


l- 


¥' 


•it 


it 


m: 


■'I 


178 


A    DRSCRIPTION 


singing   Vespers   on  holidays  and    Sundays,   and 
preaching  after  morning  prayers. 

The  forge  was  set  up  along  the  curtain  which 
faced  the  wood.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  posted 
himself  in  the  middle  with  the  Sieur  de  Tonty  ; 
and  *  wood  was  cut  down  to  make  charcoal  for 
the  blacksmith. 

While  they  were  engaged  at  this  work,  we 
were  thinking  constantly  only  of  our  exploration, 
and  we  saw  that  the  building  of  a  bark  would 
be  very  difficult  on  account  of  the  desertion  of 
»:he  pit  sawyers.  It  occurred  to  us  one  day,  to 
tell  our  people  that  if  there  was  a  man  of  good 
will  among  them,  who  was  willing  to  try  and 
make  sheathing  planks  there  was  hope  of  succeed- 
ing, with  a  little  more  labor  and  time,  and  that  at  the 
worst  we  should  after  all  only  spoil  a  few.  Im- 
mediately two  of  our  men  offered  to  work  at  it. 
The  trial  was  made  and  they  succeeded  pretty 
well,  although  they  had  never  before  undertaken 
a  similar  piece  of  work.  We  began  a  bark  of 
forty-two  feet  keel,  and  only  twelve  broad.  We 
*  Rest  of  sentence  not  in  Margry. 


SLaKagjBag-raJ 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


179 


pushed  on  the  work  with  so  much  care,  that  not- 
withstanding the  building    of  Fort  Crevecoeur 
the   sheathing  was  sawed,  all   the  wood   of  the 
bark     ready    and    curved  *    in    the    first    of   the 
month  of  March. f 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  in  the  country  of  the 
Islinois,  the  winter  is  not  more  severe  than  in 
Provence,  but  that  of  the  year  1679,^  the  snow 

*  Hennepin  reads  "en  bois  tors."  Margry  "en  chantier,'' 
on  the  stocks. 

f  Instead  of  the  following  down  to  confortetur  cor  tuum,  the 
Margry  Rel  i  p.  477,  has  merely':  "At  the  same  time  the 
Sieur  de  la  Salle  proposed  to  have  the  route  he  was  to  take  to 
the  riverMississippi  explored  in  advance,  and  the  course  of 
that  river  above  and  below  the  mouth  of  the  Divine  river  or 
cf  the  Illinois.  Father  Louis  Henpin  offered  to  take  this 
',  oyage  in  order  to  begin  and  make  acquaintance  with  the  nations 
among  whom  he  soon  proposed  to  go  and  settle  in  order  to 
preach  the  faith  there.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  was  reluctant  to 
impose  this  task  on  him,  but  seeing  that  he  was  resolute,  he 
consented.  He  gave  him  a  calumet  and  a  canoe  with  two 
men,  one  of  whom  called  le  Picard  is  now  in  Paris,  the  other 
named  Michael  Accault,  unrlcistood  moderately  the  Illinois 
and  Nadouessioux  languages.  He  entrusted  the  latter  with 
some  goods  intended  to  make  presents  and  valued  at  1000  or 
1200  livres."     Compare  Margry  11,  p.  246. 

J  16P0,  in  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  226. 


i^ 


i8o 


A    DESCRIPTION 


M 


i 


I* 


^! 


lasted  more  than  twenty  days,  which  was  an 
extraordinary  surprise  to  the  Indians,  who  had 
not  yet  experienced  so  severe  a  winter,  so  that 
the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  and  I  saw  ourselves  exposed 
to  new  hardships,  which  will  perhaps  appear  in- 
credible to  those  who  have  no  experience  in 
great  voyages  and  new  discoveries. 

Fort  Crevecceur*  was  almost  completed,  all  the 
wood  had  been  prepared  to  complete  the  bark, 
but  we    had  neither  rigging  nor  sails,  nor  iron 
enough ;  we  heard  no  tidings  of  the  bark  which 
we  had  left  on  Lake  Dauphin  nor  of  the  men 
who  had  been  sent  to  learn  what  had  become  of 
her.     Meanwhile  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  saw  that 
summer  was  approaching,  and  that  if  he  waited 
uselessly     some    months    more,  our    enterprise 
would  be   retarded   a  year,  and   perhaps  two  or 
three,  because  being  so  far  from  Canada,  he  could 
not  put  his  affairs  in  any  order  or  cause  the  things 
he  needed  to  be  forwarded. 

In  this  extremity  f  we  both  adopted  a  resolu- 

*  This  paragraph  is  substantially  in  Margry,  i  p.  483. 

t  Margry  i,  p.   484,  has  :  In  this  extremity,  he  adopted  a 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


i8i 


tion,  as  extraordinary  as  it  was  difficult  to  carry 
out,  I  to  go  with  two  men  into  unknown  coun- 
tries, where  one  is  at  every  moment  in  a  great 
danger  for  his  life,  and  he  to  proceed  on  foot  to 
Fort  Frontenac   itself,   a  distance  of  more  than 
five  hundred  leagues.     We  were  then  at  the  close 
of  winter  which  had   been,  as  we  have  said  as 
severe  in  America  as  in  France,  the  ground  was 
still  covered  with  snow  which  was  neither  melted 
nor  able  to  bear  a  man  in  snow  shoes.     It  was 
necessary  to  load  ourselves  with  the  usual  equipage 
on  these  occasions,  that  is  to  say,  a  blanket,  a 
kettle,  an  axe,  a  gun,  powder,  and  lead,  dressed 
skins  to  make  Indian  shoes,  which  often  last  only  a 
day,  those  which  are  worn  in  France  being  of  no 
use  in  these  western  countries.     Besides  this  he 
must  resolve  to  push  through  bushes,  to  walk  in 
marshes,  and  melting  snow,  sometimes  waist  high, 
and  that  for  whole   days,  sometimes   even   with 
nothing  to  eat;  because  he  and  three  others  who 

resolution  as  extraordinary  as  it  was  difficult  to  execute,  namely 
to  proceed  on  foot  to  Fort  Frontenac  more  than  live  hundred 
leagues  distant.     We  were  there  etc. 


itfiiie 


l82 


A    DESCRIPTION 


! 


I  f- 


accompanied    him,   could    not   carry   provisions, 
being  compelled  to  depend  for  all  iheir  subsistence 
on  whst  they  might  shoot,  and   expect  to   drink 
only  the  water  they  might  find  on  the  way.     To 
conclude  he  A^as  exposed  every  day  and  especially 
night  to  be  surprised  by  four  or  five  nations  which 
made  war  on  each  other,  with  this  difference,  that 
these  nations  where  he  was  to  pass,  all  know  the 
French,   and  that  those  where  I  was  going  had 
never   seen    Europeans.     Nevertheless  all    these 
difficulties  did  not  astonish  him  *  any  more  than 
they  did  me.     Our  only  trouble  was  to  find  among 
our  force,  some  men  robust  enough  to  go  with  us» 
and  to  prevent  the  others,  already  greatly  fluctua- 
ting, from  all  deserting  after  our  departure. 

Some  t  days  after  we  fortunately  found  means 
to  disabuse  our  people  of  the  false  impressions 
which  the  Islinois  had  produced  on  them  at  the 
instigation  of  Monso,  chief  of  the  Miamis.J 
Some  Indians  arrived  at  the  village  of  the  Islinois 

*  Margry  continues  "  and  his  only  trouble  was,  etc. 
t  This  is  virtually  in  Margry,  i  p.  485. 
tMaskoutens.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  230. 


OF    LOUISIANA 


183 


from  these  remote  nations,  and  one  of  them  assured 
us  of  the  beauty  of  the  great  river  Colbert  or 
Meschasipi.  We  were  confirmed  in  it  by  the 
report  of  several  Indians,  and  by  a  private  Islinois, 
who  told  us  in  secrtt  on  our  arrival  that  it  was 
navigable.  Nevertheless  this  account  did  not 
suffice  to  disabuse  our  people  and  completely 
reassure  them.  We  wished  to  make  the  Islinois 
themselves  avow  it,  although  we  had  learned 
that  they  had  resolved  in  council  always  to  tell 
us  the  same  thing.  Soon  after  a  favorable  occasion 
presented  itself 

A  young  Islinois  warrior  who  had  taken  some 
prisoners  in  the  direction  of  the  south  and  who 
had  come  on  ahead  of  his  comrades,  passed  to  our 
shipyard.  They  gave  him  some  Indian  corn  to 
eat.  As  he  was  returning  from  the  lower  part 
of  the  river  Colbert,  of  which  we  pretended  to 
have  some  knowledge,  this  young  man  traced 
for  us  with  coal,  a  pretty  exact  map,  assuring  us 
that  he  had  been  everywhere  in  his  periagua ; 
that  there  was  1  ot  down  to  the  sea,  which  the 
Indians  call  the  great  lake,  either  falls  or  rapids. 


184 


A    DESCRIPTION 


But  that  as  this  river  became  very  broad,  there 
were  in  some  places  sand  banks  and  mud  which 
barred  a  part  of  it.  He  also  told  us  the  name  of 
the  nations  that  lived  on  its  bank,  and  of  the 
rivers  which  it  receives.  I  wrote  them  down  and 
I  will  be  able  to  give  an  account  thereof  in  a 
second  volume  of  our  Discovery.* 

We  thanked  him  by  a  small  present,  for  having 
revealed  to  us  the  truth,  which  the  chief  men  of 
his  Islinois  nation  had  disguised  from  us.  He 
begged  us  not  to  tell  them,  and  an  axe  was  given 
to  him  to  close  his  mouth  after  the  fashion  of  the 
Indians  when  they  wish  to  enjoin  secrecy. 

The  next  morning  after  our  public  prayers,  we 
went  to  the  village  where  we  found  the  Islinois 
assembled  in  the  cabin  of  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant who  was  giving  a  bear  feast,  which  is  a  meat 
that  they  esteem  highly.  They  made  place  for 
us  among  them  on  a  fine  mat  of  flags,  which  they 
spread  for  us.  We  told  them  through  one  of 
their  men,  who  knew  the  language,  that  we 
wished  to  make  known  to  them,  that  He  who 

*  This  is  in  La  Salle's  letter.     Margry,  ii  p.  54. 


OF    LOUISIANA.  185 

has  made  all,  whom  we  call  the  great  Master  of 
Life,  takes  a  particular  care  of  the  French,  that 
he  had  done  us  the  favor  to  instruct  us  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  great  river,  called  by  us  Colbert, 
as  to  which  we  had  difficulty  in  ascertaining  the 
truth,  since  they  had  rendered  it  impcosible  for  us 
to  navigate,  and  then  we  informed  them  what 
we  had  learned  the  day  before. 

These  savages  thought  that  we  had  learned 
all  these  things  by  some  extraordinary  way ;  and 
after  having  closed  the  mouth  with  their  hand, 
which  is  a  way  that  they  often  employ  to  express 
their  surprise,  they  told  us  that  it  was  only  the 
desire  which  they  had  to  retain  our  chief  with 
the  Greygowns  or  Bare  feet  (as  all  the  Indians  of 
of  America  call  our  Religious  of  Saint  Francis) 
to  remain  with  them,  had  obliged  them  to  con- 
ceal the  truth.  They  confirmed  all  that  we  had 
learned  from  the  young  warrior,  and  have  since 
always  persisted  in  the  same  opinion. 

This  affair  greatly  diminished  the  fears  of  our 
Frenchmen,    and   they    were   entirely  delivered 
16 


■T 


i86 


A    DESCRIPTION 


i 


from  them  by  the  arrival  of  several  Osages, 
Ciccaca  and  Akansa,*  who  had  come  from  the 
southward  in  order  to  see  the  French  and  to  buy 
axes.  They  all  bore  witness  that  the  river  was  navi- 
gable to  the  sea,  and  that  as  the  coming  of  the 
French  was  made  known,f  all  the  nations  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  river  Colbert  would  come  to 
dance  the  Calumet  of  Peace  to  us,  in  order  to 
maintain  a  good  understanding,  and  trade  with 
the  French  nation. 

The  Miamis  came  at  the  same  time  to  dance 
the  calumet  to  the  Islinois,  and  made  an  alliance 
with  them  against  the  Iroquois  their  common 
enemy.  The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  made  some  presents 
to  unite  these   two  nations  more  firmly  together. 

Seeing  that  we  were  three  Recollect  mission- 
aries with  the  few  Frenchmen  whom  we  had  at 
Fort  CrevecoEuf,  and    having  no  more  wine  to 

*  The  Osages  from  the  Missouri  ;  the  Chickasaws  and 
Akansas  or  Quappas  from  the  lower  Mississippi.  Akansa, 
Alkansas,  Arkansas  is  the  Aljronquin  name  for  the  Quappas  a 
Dacota  tribe  driven  from  the  Ohio  river.     Gravier's  Journal. 

■j-  "They  would  be  very  well  received  "    Margry  i,  p.  487. 


OF    LOUISIANA.  187 

say  mass,  Father  Gabriel   who  had  need  of  relief 
at  his   advanced    age,    declared    that    he    would 
willingly    remain    alone    at    the   fort    with    our 
Frenchmen.     Father  Zenoble  *  who  had  desired 
to  have  the  great  mission  of  the  Islinois,  composed 
of  about  seven  or  eight  thousand  souls,  began  to 
weary  of  it,  finding  it  difficult  to  adapt  himself 
to  the  importunate  manners  of  the  Indians,  with 
whom  he  dwelt.     We  spoke  about  it  to  the  Sieur 
de  la  Salle,  who  made  a  present  of  three  axes  to 
the  Father's  host,  by  name  Oumahouha,  that  is 
to  say,  the  Wolf,   who  was  the  chief  of  a  family 
or    tribe,  in    order  that  he  might   take  care  tr, 
maintain  the  Father,  whom  this  chief  called  his 
son,  and  who  lodged  him  and  considered  him  as 
one  of  his  children. 

This  Father  who  was  only  half  a  league  from 
the  fort,  came  to  explain  to  us  the  subject  of  his 
troubles,  telling  us,  that  he  was  not  yet  accustomed 
to  the  ideas  of  the  Indians,  that  nevertheless  he 
already  knew  a  part  of  their  language.     I  oftbred 

*  Zenobe  is  frequently  written  thus  in  documents  of  this  time. 
Margry  by  a  blunder  in  one  place  makes  another  man  Le  Noble.' 


i88 


A    DFSCRIPTION 


to  take  his  mission,  provided  he  would  go  in  my 
place  to  the  remote  nations  of  whom  we  had  as 
yet  no  knowledge,  as  that  which  the  Indians  had 
given  us  was  only  superficial.  This  set  the 
Father  thinking,  and  he  preferred  to  remain  wit)' 
the  Islinois,  of  whom  he  had  some  knowledg 
rather  than  expose  himself  to  go  among  unknown 
nations. 

The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  left  in  Fort  CrevecoL'ur 
the  Sieur  de  Tonty  as  commandant,  with  some 
soldiers  and  the  carpenters  who  were  employed 
building  the  bark  intended  for  the  attempt  to 
descend  to  the  sea  by  the  river  Colbert,  in  order 
to  be  by  this  means,  protected  from  the  arrows 
of  the  Indians  in  this  vessel.  He  left  him  powaer 
and  lead,  a  blacksmith,  guns  and  other  arms  to 
defend  themselves,  in  case  they  were  attacked  by 
the  Iroquois.  He  gave  him  instructions  to  re- 
main in  his  fort,  and  before  returning  to  Fort 
Frontenac,  to  go  and  get  a  reinforcement,  cables 
and  rigging  for  the  last  bark,  which  he  left  built 
up   to   the  ribband,*    he  begged   me  to  consent 

*  See  proceedings  against  Deserters.      Margry  ii,  p.  103.     It 
had  four  planks  on  each  side. 


OF    LOUISIANA.  189 

to  take  the  pains  to  go  and  explore  in  advance 
the  route  which  he  would  have  to  take  to  the 
river  Colbert  on  his  return  from  Canada,*  but  as 
I  had  an  abscess  in  the  mouth,  which  suppurated 
continually,  and  which  had  continued  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  I  manifested  to  him  my  repugnance, 
and  told  him  that  I  needed  to  return  to  Canada 
to  have  it  treated.  He  replied  that  if  I  refused 
this  voyage,  that  he  would  write  to  my  superiors, 
that  I  would  be  the  cause  of  the  want  of  success 
of  our  new  missions. 

The  Reverend  Father  Gabriel  de  la  Ribourde 
who  had  been  my  lAither  Master  in  the  Novitiate, 
begged  me  to  proceed,  saying  that  if  I  died  of 
this  infirmity,  God  would  be  one  day  glorified 
by  my  apostolic  labors.  "  It  is  true,  my  son," 
said  this  venerable  old  man  to  me ;  who  had 
whitened   more  than    forty  years  in    the  austerity 

*  La  Salle,  MaVgry  ii,  p.  54,  says  that  Indians  called  Cbaa 
who  lived  up  the  Mississippi  visited  him  and  invited  him  to 
their  country,  and  that  Hennepin  offered  to  go  with  two  of"  his 
bravest  men.  It  is  not  easy  to  tell  who  the  Chaa  were,  unless 
we  take  it  to  be  a  misprint  for  bsan,  one  Algonquin  name  for 
the  Sioux. 


igo 


A    DESCRIPTION 


Wi 


^ 


of  penance,  "  thac  you  will  have  many  monsters 
to  overcome,  and  precipices  to  pass  in  this  enter- 
prise, which  demands  the  strength  of  the  most 
robust.  You  do  not  know  a  word  of  the  language 
of  these  nations,  whom  you  going  to  try  and  gain 
to  God,  but  courage,  you  will  gain  as  many 
victories  as  combats." 

Considering  that  this  Father  had  at  his  age 
volunteered  to  come  and  aid  me  in  my  second 
year  of  our  new  discovery,  in  the  view  that  he 
had  to  announce  Jesus  Christ  to  the  unknown 
nations,  and  that  this  aged  man  was  the  only 
male  child  and  heir  of  his  father's  house,  who 
was  a  gentleman  of  Burgundy,  I  offered  to  un- 
dertake this  voyage  to  endeavor  to  go  and  form 
an  acquaintance  with  the  nations  among  whom  I 
hoped  soon  to  settle  in  order  to  preach  the  faith. 
The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  told  me  that  I  gratified  him. 
He  gave  me  a  peace  calumet  and  a  canoe  with 
two  men,  one  of  whom  was  called  the  Picard  du 
Gay,  who  is  now  in  Paris,  and  the  other  Michael 


^*;i V  •rtBiSt-.T  ■  •f^^j^iwr^ 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


191 


Ako.*  He  entrusted  this  latter  with  some  goods 
intended  to  make  presents,  which  were  worth  a 
thousand  or  twelve  hundred  livres,  and  he  gave 
me  ten  knives,  twelve  awls,  a  small  roll  of  tobacco, 
to  give  the  Indians,  about  two  pounds  of  black 
and  white  beads,  and  a  small  package  of  needles, 
assuring  me  that  he  would  have  given  me  more, 
if  he  had  been  able.  In  fact  he  is  very  liberal  to 
his  friends. 

*  Compare  La  Salle's  letter,  Margry  ii,  p.  55,  Moyse  Hil- 
laret  (lb.  p.  108)  says  Aug.  17,  1680:  "Feb.  28,  the 
Recollect  F.  Louis  and  the  said  Accault  and  Picard  went  to 
trade  with  the  Sioux,"  showing  that  this  was  the  opinion  in  the 
fort  of  the  object  of  their  voyage.  Tonty  in  Margry  i,  p. 
583,  says  :  "  Sometime  after  the  Reverend  Father  Louis  Hen- 
nepin set  out  with  Michael  and  Picard  for  the  country  of  the 
Sioux."  See  too  Tunty,  Memoire,  p.  8.  La  Salle  in  Margry 
i'l  P-  24  ,  etc.,  gives  an  account  and  justifies  sending  them,  see 
Appendix. 

Of  his  two  companions  Michael  Accau.t  is  deemed  by  some 
the  real  head  oi  the  party.  After  La  Salle's  force  were  ennobled 
by  his  discoveries,  this  man  became  the  Sieur  d'  Accault,  (d'Ako 
d'acau,  Dacan)  just  a:,  honest  Pierre  You,  blossomtd  out  into 
Picri  e  You  d'Youville dc  la  Decou verte.  The  Picard's  real  name 
was  Anthony  Auguelle.  In  this  volume,  printed  at  Paris,  Henne- 
pin very  naturally  mentions  Auguelle's  being  there.  The  Mar 
gry  document  says  the  same,  but  La  Salle  would  have  referred 
to  Hennepin,  not  to  Augnellc,  had  he  known  where  they  were. 


192 


A    DESCRIPTION 


hi 


Having  received  the  blessing  of  the  reverend 
Father  Gabriel  and  leave  from  the  Sieur  de  la 
Salle,  and  after  having  embraced  all  our  men 
who  came  to  escort  us  to  our  place  of  embarking 
Father  Gabriel  finishing  his  adieus  by  these  words : 
Viriliter  age  et  confortetur  cor  tuujn^\  we  set  out 
from  Fort  Crevecoeur  the  29th  of  February,  1680, 
and  toward  evening,  while  descending  the  river 
Seignelay,  we  met  on  our  way  several  parties  of 
Islinois  returning  to  their  village  in  their  periaguas 
or  gondolas,  loaded  with  meat.  They  would  have 
obliged  us  to  return,  our  two  boatmen  were 
strongly  influenced,  but  as  they  would  have  had 
to  pass  by  Fort  Crevecoeur,  where  our  Frenchmen 
would  have  stopped  them,  we  pursued  our  way 
the  next  day,  and  my  two  men  afterward  con- 
fessed the  design  which  they  had  entertained. 

The  river  Seignelay  on  which  we  were  sailing, 
is  as  deep  and  broad  as  the  Seine  at  Paris,  and  in 
two  or   three  places  widens  out  to  a  quarter  of  a 

fThis  from  "  Some  days  after  "  is  reproduced  with  some  ab- 
ridgment in  the  Nouv.  Dec,  ch.  xxxv,  pp.  230-240. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


193 


league.*  It  is  skirted  by  hills,  whose  sides  are 
covered  with  fine  large  trees,  Some  of  these  hills 
are  half  a  league  apart,  leaving  between  them  a 
marshy  strip,  often  inundated,  especially  in  the 
autumn  and  spring,  but  producing,  nevertheless, 
very  large  trees.  On  ascending  these  hills,  you 
discover  prairies  further  than  the  eye  can  reach, 
studded,  at  intervals,  with  groves  of  tall  trees, 
apparently  planted  there  intentionally.  The 
current  of  the  river  is  not  perceptible,  except  in 
time  of  great  rains  ;  it  is  at  all  times  navigable 
for  large  barks  about  a  hundred  leagues,!  from  its 
mouth  to  the  Islinois  village,  whence  its  course 
almost  al'v.ays  runs  south  by  west. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  we  found,  about  two 
leagues  from  its  mouth,  a  nation  called  Tamaroa, 
or  Maroa,  composed  of  two  hundred  families. 
They  would  have  taken  us  to  their  village  lying 
west  of  the  river  Colbert,  six  or  seven  leagues 
below  the  mouth  of  the  river  Seignelay  ;  but  our 
two  canoemen,  in  hopes  of  still  greater  gain,  pre- 

*  One  or  two  leagues.      Margiy  i,  p.  478.     The  Nouv.  Dec, 
says  at  the  Meuse  at  Namur. 


11 


194- 


A    DESCRIPTION 


.-^if 


fcrred  to  pass  on,  according  to  the  advice  I  then 
gave  them.  These*  last  Indians  seeing  that  we 
carried  iron  and  arms  to  their  enemies,  and  unable 
to  overtake  us  in  their  periaguas,  which  arc 
wooden  canoes,  much  heavier  than  our  bark  one, 
which  went  much  faster  than  their  boats,  des- 
patched some  of  their  young  men  after  us  by  land, 
to  pierce  us  with  their  arrows  at  some  narrow  part 
of  the  river,  but  in  vain  ;  for  soon  after  discover- 
ing the  fire  made  by  these  warriors  at  their  am- 
buscade, we  promptly  crossed  the  river,  gained 
the  other  side,  and  encamped  in  an  island,  leaving 
our  canoe  loaded  and  our  little  dog  to  wake  us, 
so  as  to  embark  more  expeditiously,  should  the 
Indians  attempt  to  surprise  us  by  swimming  across. 
Soon  after  leaving  these  Indians,  we  came  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Seignelay,  fifty  leagues 
distant  from  Fort  Crevecceur,  and  aboyt  a  hun- 
dred f  leagues  from  the  great  Islinois  village.  It 
lies    between    36°    and   37°  J    N.    latitude,    and 

*  Omitted  in  Margry. 

f  Ninety,  Margry  i,  p.  479,  ii,  p.  247. 

I  35°  and  36°.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  245. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


195 


consequently  one  hundred  and  twenty  or  thirty 
leagues  from  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 

In  the  angle  formed  on  the  south  by  this  river, 
at  its  mouth,  is  a  flat  precipitous  rock,  about  forty 
feet  high,  very  well  suited  for  building  a  fort. 
On  tb-  northern  side,  opposite  the  rock,  and  on 
tha  west  side  beyond  the  river,  are  fields  of  black 
earth,  the  end  of  which  you  can  not  see,  all  ready 
for  cultivation,  which  would  be  very  advantageous 
for  the  existence  of  a  colony. 

The  ice  which  floated  down  from  the  north 
kept  us  in  this  place  till  the  1 2th  of  March,  whence 
we  continued  our  route,  traversing  J  the  river  and 
sounding  on  all  sides  to  see  whether  it  was  navi- 
gable. There  are,  indeed,  three  islets  in  the 
middle,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Seignelay, 
which  stop  the  floating  wood  and  trees  from  the 
north,  and  form  several  large  sand-bars,  yet  the 
channels  are  deep  enough,  and  there  is  sufficient 
water  for  barks ;  large  flat-boats  can  pass  there  at 
all  times. 

X  "  Ascending  along  the  river  "  concludes  the  paragraph,  in 
Margry  i,  p.  479. 


196 


A    DESCRIPTION 


m 


The  River  Colbert  runs  south  southwest,  and 
comes   from    the    north  and  northwest ;  it   runs 
betwee>-   two   chains   of  mountains,    very   small 
here,    which   wind  with   the  river,  and   in  some 
places  are  j  >retty  far  from  the  banks,  so  that  be- 
tween the  mountains  and  the  river,  there  are  large 
prairies,  where  you  often  see  herds  of  wild  cattle 
browsing.     In  other  places  these  eminences  leave 
semi- circular  spots  covered  with  grass  or  wood. 
Beyond  these  mountains  you  discover  vast  plains, 
but   the  more   we   approach    the    northern   side 
ascending,  the  earth  did  not  appear  to  us  so  fertile, 
nor   the    woods  so    beautiful   as   in    the    Islinois 
country. 

This  great  river  is  almost  everywhere  a 
short  league  *  in  width,  and  in  some  place,  two 
leagues;  it  is  divided  by  a  number  of  islands 
covered  with  trees,  interlaced  with  so  many  vines 
as  to  be  almost  impassable.  It  receives  no  con- 
siderable river  on  the  western  side  except  that  of 
the  Otontenta,f  and  another,  which  comes  from 

*  "  One  or  two  leagues  in  width  and  is  divided,  etc."    Margry 
I,  p.  479. 

t  Outoutanta,  in  Margry  who  omits  the  rest  of  the  sentence. 


^ 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


197 


the  west  northwest,  seven  or  eight  leagues  from 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthcny  of  Padua.* 

On  the  eastern  side  you  meet  first  an  j-  incon- 
siderable river,  and  then  further  on  another, 
called  by  the  Indians  Onisconsin,  or  Misconsin, 
which  comes  from  the  east  and  east-northeast. 
Sixty  leagues  up  you  leave  it,  and  make  a  portajje 
of  half  a  league  to  reach  the  Bay  of  the  Puans 
by  another  river  which,  near  its  sourse,  meanders 
most  curiously.  It  is  almost  as  broad  as  the  river 
Seignelay,  or  Islinois,  and  empties  into  the  river 
Colbert,  a  hundred  leagues  above  the  river 
Seignelay.  ,. 

Twenty-four  'j^  leagues  above,  you  come  to  the 
Black  river  called  by  the  Nadouessious,  or  Islati, 
Chabadeba,  or  Chabaoudeba,  it  seems  inconsider- 

*  After  this  paragraph  the  Nouv.  Decouv.  introduces  the 
voyage  down  the  Mississippi  at)i  then  repeats  the  paragraph,  p. 
313,  after  an  introductory  statement.     Appendix  B. 

f  Margry  omits  to  "  another  "  and  has  "  first  the  river  " 
called,  etc.  The  Nouv.  Dec.  has  Ouisconsin,  LaSalle  (Margry 
ii,  p.  249)  gives  also  the  name  Meschetz  Odeba  and  mentions 
the  rock  at  the  south  and  prairie  north  of  its  mouth. 

I  Twenty-three  or  twenty-four.     Margry. 


<:; 


it 


198 


A    DESCRIPTION 


able.     Thirty   leagues  higher   up,   you   find  the 
lake  of  Tears,*  which  we  so  named,  because  the 
Indians   who   had   taken  us,   wishing  to  kill  us, 
some  of  them  wept  the   whole  night,   to  induce 
the  others  to  consent  to  our  death.     This  lake 
which  is  formed  by  the  river   Colbert,  is  seven 
leagues   long,  and  about  four  wide  ;  there  is  no 
considerable  current  in  the  middle  that  we  could 
perceive,    but    only    at    its  entrance    and    exit.f 
Half  a  league  below  the  lake  of  Tears,  on  the 
south  side,  is  Buffalo  river,  full  of  turtles.     It  is 
so    called    by    the    Indians    on    account    of    the 
numbers  of  buffalo  found  there.     We  followed 
it   for  ten   or   twelve  leagues;  it  empties    with 
rapidity  into  the  river  Colbert,  but  as  you  ascend 
it,  it  is  always  gentle  and  free  from  rapids.     It  is 
skirted  by  mountains,  far   enough   off  in    some 
places  to  form  prairies.     The  mouth  is  wooded  on 
*  Lake  Pepin. 


t  Margry    omits    down 

twenty  five  leagues,"  « Issati."     It  makes  the  Lakes 


Dec.  has  " 


to  "BufFalo   river."     The    Nou\ 


of  Tears  three  leagues  wide  and  the  distance  to  the  R 
Wild  Bulls  a  good  league. 


iver  of 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


199 


both  sides,  and  is  full  as  wide  as  that  of  the  Seig- 
nelay. 

Forty  leagues  above  is  a  river  full  of  rapids, 
by  which,  striking  northwest,  you  can  proceed 
to  Lake  Conde,  as  far  as  Nimissakouat  *  river, 
which  empties  into  that  lake.  This  first  river 
is  called  Tomb  river,  f  because  the  Issati  left 
there  the  body  of  one  of  their  warriors,  killed 
by  a  rattlesnake,  on  whom  according  to  their  cus- 
tom, I  put  a  blanket.  This  act  of  hu- 
manity gained  me  much  importance  by  the 
gratitude  displayed  by  the  men  of  the  deceased's 
tribe,  in  a  great  banquet  which  they  gave  me  in 
their  country,  and  to  which  more  than  a  hundred 
Indians  were  invited. 

Continuing  to  ascend  this  river  ten  or  twelve  t 

*    Nemitsakouat,     Margry.       Nissipikouet,     Nouv.     Dec 
This  is  probably  the  St.  Louis  of  the  map  of  the  Jesuit  Relation 
of  i670-'7i,   marked   as  the   way  to  the   Sioux,  sixty  leagues 
west,  being  nearly  the  distance  here  given  by  Hennepin  between 
Mille  Lake  and  Lake  Superior. 

t  St.  Croix. 

t  Margry  i,  (p.  480,)  says  80. 


i! 


200 


A    DESCRIPTION 


U  i 


leagues  more,  the  navigation  is  interrupted  by  a 
cataract  which  I  called  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 
of  Padua,  in  gratitude  for  the  favors  done  me  by 
the  Almighty  through  the  intercession  of  that 
great  saint,  whom  we  had  chosen  patron  and 
protector  of  all  our  enterprises.  This  cataract  is 
forty  or  fifty ''"  feet  high,  divided  in  the  middle 
of  its  fall  by  a  rocky  island  of  pyramidal  form.f 
The  high  mountains  which  skirt  the  river  Colbert 
last  only  as  far  as  the  river  Onisconsin,  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  leagues ;  at  this  place 
it  begins  to  flow  from  the  west  and  northwest 
without  our  having  been  able  to  learn  from  the 
Indians,  who  have  ascended  it  very  far,  the  spot 
where  this  river  rises.  They  merely  told  us, 
that  twenty  or  thirty  leagues  below,  \  there  is  a 
second  fall,  at  the  foot  of  which  are  some  villages 
of  the  prairie  people,  called   Thinthonha,^  who 

*  Margry  says  30  or  40.     The  Nouv.  Dec.  50  or  60,  p.  313. 

f  Margry  carries  the  mountains  up  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony. 

X   For  "below"'  (dessous)  the  Nouv.    Dec.   has  '"above" 
(dessus). 

§  The  Titonwan,  Minnesota  Hist.  Coll.  i,  p.  297. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


20I 


live  there  a  part  of  the  year.  Eight  leagues 
above  St.  Anthony  of  Padua's  falls  on  the  right, 
you  find  the  river  of  the  Issati  or  Nadoussion,* 
vi^ith  a  very  narrow  mouth,  which  you  can  ascend 
to  the  north  for  about  seventy  f  leagues  to  Lake 
Buade  or  of  the  Issati  J  where  it  rises.  We  gave 
this  river  the  name  of  St.  Francis.  This  last  lake 
spreads  out  into  great  marshes,  producing  wild 
rice,  like  many  other  places  down  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  Bay  of  the  Puans.  This  kind  of 
grain  grows  in  marshy  places  without  any  one 
sowing  it  :  it  resembles  oats,  but  tastes  better, 
and  the  stalks  are  longer  as  well  as  the  ear.  The 
Indians  gather  it  in  due  season.  The  women  tie 
several  ears  together  with  white  wood  bark  to 
prevent  its  being  all  devoured  by  the  flocks  of 
duck  and  teal  found  there.     The  Indians  lay  in 

*  Rum  River, 
t  fifty,  Margry. 

X  Here  the  Nouv.  Dec.  strangely  adds  "  where  I  was  made 
a  slave  by  these  savages."     The  lake  is  Mille  Lake. 
•        '         17 


r 


2C2 


A  DESCRIPTION 


a  stock  for  part  of  the  year,  and  to  eat  out  of  the 
hunting  season.* 

Lake  Buade,  or  Lake  of  the  Issati,  is  situated 
about  seventy  f  leagues  west  of  Lake  Conde  ;  it  is 
impossible  to  go  from  one  to  the  other  by  land  on 
account  of  the  marshy  and  quaggy  nature  of  the 
ground  ;  you  might  go,  though  with  difficulty 
on  the  snow  in  snowshoes ;  by  water  there  are 
many  portages  and  it  is  a  hundred  and  fifty 
leagues,  on  account  of  the  many  turns  to  be 
made.  From  Lake  Conde,  to  go  conveniently 
in  canoe,  you  must  pass  by  Tomb  river,  where 
we  found  only  the  skeleton  of  the  Indian  whom  I 
mentioned  above,  the  bears  having  eaten  the  flesh, 
and  pulled  up  poles  which  the  deceased's  relatives 
had  planted  in  form  of  a  monument.  One  of 
our  boatmen  found  a  war-calumet  beside  the 
grave,  and  an  earthen  pot  upset,  in  which  the 
Indians  had  left  fat  buffalo  meat,  to  assist  the 
departed,  as  they  say,  in  making  his  journey  to 
the  land  of  souls. 

*  Abridged  in  Margry. 

f  Sixty  in  Margry  and  he  omits  the  rest  of  tiie  paragraph. 


■■■4- 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


203 


In  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Buiide  are  many 
other  lakes,  whence  issue  several  rivers,  on  the 
banks  of  which  live  the  Issati,  Nadouessans, 
Tinthonha  (which  means  prairie-men),  Ouade- 
bathon  *  River  People,  Chongaskethon  f  Dog, 
or  Wolf  tribe  (for  chonga  among  these  nations 
means  dog  or  wolf),  and  other  tribes,  all  which 
we  comprise  under  the  name  Nadonessiou.|" 
These  Indians  number  eight  or  nine  thousand 
warriors,  very  brave,  great  runners,  and  very  good 
bowmen.  It  was  by  a  part  of  these  tribes  that  I 
and  our  two  canoemen  were  taken  in  the  follow- 
ing way. 

We  scrupulously  said  our  morning  and  evening 
prayers  every  day  on  embarking,  and  the  Angelus 
at  noon,  adding  some  paraphrases  on  the  Response 
of  St.  Bonaventure,  Cardinal,   in   honor    of  St. 

*  Onadebaton,  Margry.  The  Warpetonwan.  Minn.  Hist. 
Coll.,  I,  p.  296. 

t  The  Sissitonwan.     Minn.  Hist.  Coll.  i,  p.  296. 

J  Nadouessiou  is  not  a  Dakota  word,  but  the  Chippewa 
name  for  this  tribe.  Nadowessiwag,  Baraga,  Diet.  p.  250.  The 
Algonquin  name  for  the  Iroquois  Nadowe,  Nottoway,  is  nearly 
the  same  and  probably  means  Cruel. 


204 


A  DESCRIPTION 


Anthony  of  Padua.  In  this  way  we  begged  of 
God  to  meet  these  Indians  by  day,  for  when  they 
discover  people  at  night,  they  kill  them  as 
enemies,  to  rob  those  whom  they  murder  secretly 
of  some  axes  or  knives  which  they  value  more 
than  we  do  gold  and  silver  ;  they  even  kill  their 
own  allies,  when  they  can  conceal  their  death,  so 
as  afterward  to  boast  of  having  killed  men,  and 
thus  pass  for  soldiers.* 

We  had  considered  the  river  Colbert  with 
great  pleasure,  and  without  hindrance,  to  know 
whether  it  was  navigable  up  and  down :  we 
were  loaded  with  seven  or  eight  large  turkeys, 
which  multiply  of  themselves  in  these  parts.  We 
wanted  neither  buffalo  nor  deer,  nor  beaver,  nor 
rish,  nor  bear  meat,  for  we  killed  those  animals 
as  they  swam  across  the  river. 

Our  prayers  were  heard  when,  on  the  nth  of 

*  This  paragraph  omitted  by  Margry.  The  narrative  of  the 
captivity  and  deliverance  as  given  in  Margry,  will  be  found  in 
the  appendix  B. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


205 


April,  1680,*  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
we  suddenly  perceived  thirty-three  bark  canoes, 
manned  by  a  hundred  and  tvventy  Indians,  com- 
ing down  with  extraordinary  speed,  to  make  war 
on  the  Miamis,  Islinois,  and  Maroha.f  These 
Indians  surrounded  us,  and  while  at  a  distance, 
discharged  some  arrows  at  us ;  but  as  they  ap- 
proached our  canoe  the  old  men  seeing  us  with 
the  calumet  of  peace  in  our  hands,  prevented  the 
young  men  from  killing  us.  These  brutal  men 
leaping  from  their  canoes,  some  on  land,  others 
into  the  water  with  frightful  cries  and  yells,  ap- 
proached us,  and  as  we  made  no  resistance,  being 
only  three  against  so  great  a  number,  one  of 
them  wrenched  our  calumet  from  our  hands, 
while  our  canoe  and  theirs  were  made  fast  to  the 

*  The  Nouv.  Decouv.  says  12th.  His  men  were  cooking  a 
turkey  and  he  was  patching  the  canoe,  p.  314.  He  says  50 
canoes.  La  Salle  in  his  letter  ot  Aug.  22,  1682,  makes  them 
meet  the  Sioux  above  St.  Anthony's  Falls  !  As  Hennepin  says 
later  that  they  had  made  200  leagues  since  leaving  the  Illinois 
Indians,  and  makes  the  Illinois  camp  one  hundred  from  the 
mouth,  a  like  distance  on  the  Mississippi  will  bring  the  c.ipture 
about  the  Desmoines. 

f  Tamaroas. 


2o6 


A  DESCRIPTION 


shore.  We  first  presented  them  a  piece  of  Petun 
or  French  tobacco,  better  for  smoking  than  theirs, 
and  the  eldest  among  them  uttered  these  words 
Miamiha,  Miamiha  As  we  did  not  understand 
their  language,  we  took  a  little  stick,  and  by 
signs  which  we  made  on  the  sand,  showed  them 
that  their  enemies,  the  Miamis  whom  they  sought, 
had  fled  across  the  river  Colbert  to  join  the 
Islinois ;  when  then  they  saw  themselves  dis- 
covered and  unable  to  surprise  their  enemies, 
three  or  four  old  men  laying  their  hands  on  my 
head,  wept  in  a  lugubrious  tone,  and  I  with  a 
wretched  handkerchief  I  had  left,  wiped  away 
their  tears.  These  savages  would  not  smoke  our 
ptace-calumet.  They  made  us  cross  the  river 
with  great  cries,  which  all  shouted  together  with 
tears  in  their  eyes ;  they  made  us  paddle  before 
them,  and  we  heard  yells  capable  of  striking  the 
most  resolute  with  terror.  After  landing  our 
canoe  and  our  goods,  some  part  of  which  they 
had  been  already  stolen,  we  made  a  fire  to  boil 
our  kettle  ;  we  gave  them  two  large  wild  turkeys 
that  we  had  killed.     These  savages  having  called 


t 


f 


imi 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


207 


their  assembly  to  deliberate  on  what  they  were 
to  do  with  us  ;  the  two  head  chiefs  of  the  party 
approaching,    showed     us,     by    signs,     that    the 
warriors   wished  to   tomahawk   us.     This  com- 
pelled me  to  go  to  the  war  chiefs  with  one  of 
my  men,  leaving  the  other  by  our  property,  and 
throw   into  their   midst  six   axes,   fifteen  knives, 
and  six  fathom  of  our  black  tobacco,  then  bowing 
down  my  head,   I  showed  them,   with   an   axe, 
that  they  might  tomahawk  us,  if  they  thought 
proper.     This  present  appeased  several  individuals 
among  them,  who  gave  us  some  beaver  to  eat, 
putting   the    three    first   mors.^ls    in   our    mouth 
according    to   the    custom   of  the  country,  and 
blowing  on  the  meat  which  was  too  hot,  before 
putting  their  bark  dish  before  us,  to  let  us  eat  as 
we  liked ;  we  spent  the  night  in  anxiety,  because 
before  retiring  at  night,  they  had  returned  us  our 
peace-calumet.     Our  two  canoemen  were,  how- 
ever, resolved  to  sell    thtir   lives  dearly,  and    to 
resist    if  attacked  ;  they    kept     their    arms    and 
swords   ready.     As    for    my   own    part,  I  deter- 
mined   to    allow    myself  to    be    killed  without 


« t 


':  i 


r 


208 


A   DESCRIPTION 


i  ■ 


■ 


any  resistance,  as  I  was  going  to  announce  to 
them  a  God,  who  had  been  falsely  accused, 
unjustly  condemned,  and  cruelly  crucified,  with- 
out showing  the  least  aversion  to  those  who  put 
him  to  death.  In  our  uncertainty,  we  watched 
one  after  the  other,  so  as  not  to  be  surprised 
asleep. 

In  the  morning,  April  12th,*  one  of  their  cap- 
tains named  Narrhetoba,  with  his  face  and  bare 
body  smeared  with  paint,  asked  me  for  our  peace- 
calumet,  filled  it  with  tobacco  of  his  country, 
made  all  his  band  smoke  first,  and  then  all  the 
others  who  plotted  our  ruin.  He  then  gave  us 
to  understand  that  we  must  go  with  them  to 
their  country,  and  they  all  turned  back  with  us ; 
having  thus  broken  off  their  voyage.  I  was  not 
sorry  in  this  conjuncture  +  to  continue  our  dis- 
coveries with  these  people.  But  the  greatest 
trouble  I  had  was,  that  I  found  it  difficult  to  say 
mv  office;];  before  these  savages,  many  of  whom 

*  Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  319  has  13th. 

t  "  Conjecture  "  in  the  text. 

I  Daily  portion  of  the  Breviary  which  priests  have  to  read. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


209 


seeing  me  move  my  lips  said,  in  a  fierce  tone, 
Ouackanche ; '''  and  as  we  did  not  know  a  word 
of  their  language,  we  believed  that  they  were 
angry  at  it.  Michael  Ako,  all  out  of  counte- 
nance, told  me,  that  if  I  continued  to  say  my 
breviary  we  should  all  three  be  killed,  and  the 
Picard  begged  me  at  least  to  conceal  myself  for 
my  devotions,  so  as  not  to  provoke  them  further. 
I  followed  the  latter's  advice,  but  the  more  I 
concealed  myself,  the  more  I  had  the  Indians  at 
my  heels,  for  when  I  entered  the  wood,  they 
thought  I  was  going  to  hide  some  goods  under 
ground,  so  that  I  knew  not  on  what  side  to  turn 
to  pray,  for  they  never  let  me  out  of  sight.  This 
obliged  me  to  beg  pardon  of  my  two  canoemen, 
assuring  them  that  I  ought  not  dispense  with 
saying  my  office,  that  if  we  were  massacred  for 
that,  I  should  be  the  innocent  cause  of  their 
death,  as  well  as  of  my  own.  By  the  word 
Ouakanche,  thes"  savages  meant  that  the  book  I 
was  reading  was  a  spirit ;  but  by  their  gesture 
*  Wakan-de.  This  is  wonderful.  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  i  p. 
308. 


i 


\ 

i 


It; 


2IO 


A   DESCRIPTION 


^     1 


they  nevertheless  showed  a  kind  of  aversion,  so 
that  to  accustom  them  to  it,  I  chanted  the  Litany 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  canoe  with  my  book 
open.  They  thought  that  the  breviary  was  a 
spirit  which  taught  me  to  sing  for  their  diversion, 
for  these  people  are  naturally  fond  of  singing. 

The  outrages  done  us  by  these  Indians  during 
our  whole  route  were  incredible,  for  seeing  that 
our  canoe  was  much  larger  and  more  heavily 
laden  than  theirs  (for  they  have  only  a  quiver 
fnll  of  arrows,  a  bow,  and  a  wretched  dressed 
skin,  to  serve  two  as  a  blanket  during  the  night, 
which  was  still  pretty  cold  at  that  season,  always 
going  north),  and  that  we  could  not  go  faster  than 
they,  they  put  some  warriors  with  us  to  help  us 
row,  to  oblige  us  to  follow  them.  These  Indians 
sometimes  make  thirty  or  forty  leagues  by  water, 
when  at  war  and  pressed  for  time,  or  anxious  to  sur- 
prise some  enemy.  Those  who  had  taken  us  were 
of  different  villages  and  of  different  opinions  as  to 
us  ;  we  cabined  every  night  by  the  young  chief 
who  had  asked  for  our  peace-calumet,  and  put 
ourselves  under  his  protection  ;  but  jealousy  arose 


mam 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


211 


among  these   Indians,  so  that   the  chief  of  the 

party  named   Aquipaguetin,   one  of  whose   sons 

had  been    killed  by  the  Miamis,   seeing  that  he 

could  not  avenge  his  death  on  that  nation  which 

he  sought,   turned  all  his   rage  on  us.      He  wept 

through   almost  every  night   him  he  had  lost  in 

war,  to  oblige  those  who  had  come  out  to  av6nge 

him,  to  kill  us  and  seize  all  wc  had,  so  as  to  be 

able  to  pursue  his  enemies ;  but  those  who  liked 

European  goods  were  much  disposed  to  preserve 

us,  so  as  to  attract  other  Frenchmen  there  and 

get  iron,   which  is   extremely  precious   in  their 

eyes ;  but  of  which  they  knew  the  great  utility 

only  when  they  saw  one  of  our  French  canoemen 

kill  three  or  four  wild  geese  or  turkeys  at  a  single 

gun  shot,  while  they  can  scarcely  kill  even  one 

with  an  arrow.      In  consequence,  as  we  afterward 

learned,    that    the    words    Manza    Ouackange,* 

mean  "  iron  that  has  understanding,"  and  so  these 

nations  called  a  gun  which  breaks  a  man's  bones, 

while  their  arrows  only  glance  through  the  flesh 

*  Hennepin  uses  the  French  nasals.  In  the  nutation  now 
adopted  it  is  Maza  Wakande,  that  is  "  The  supernatural  metal." 
Minn.  Hist.  Socy.,  i  p.  308.     Rigg's  Dakota  Diet.,  p.  138. 


MMHme!Hr^t>,-v 


M 


u 


:      ( 


« ^  w 


A   DESCRIPTION 

they  pierce,  rarely  breaking  the  bones  of  those 
whom  they  strike,  and  consequently  producing 
wounds  more  easily  cured  than  those  made  by 
our  European  guns,  which  often  cripple  those 
whom  they  wound. 

We  had  some  design  of  proceeding  down  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Colbert,  which  more 
probably  empties  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico  than 
into  the  Red  sea ;  but  these  tribes  that  seized  us, 
gave  us  no  time  to  sail  up  and  down  this  river. 

We  had  made  about  two  hundred  leagues  f  by 
water  since  our  departure  from  the  Islinois,  and 
wc  sailed  with  these  Indians  who  took  us  during 
nineteen  days,  sometimes  north,  sometimes  north- 
west, according  to  the  direction  which  the  river 
took.  By  the  estimate  which  we  formed,  since 
that  time,  we  made  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
leagues,  or  even  more  on  Colbert  river ;  for  these 
Indians  paddle  with  great  force,  from  early  in 
the  morning  till  evening,  scarcely  stopping  to  eat 

f  This  clause  of  course  is  omitted  in  the  Nouv.  Decouveite. 
The  Red  Sea,  in  Spanish  Mar  Bermejo,  was  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia.    Compare  this  clause  with  the  conclusion  of  the  volum  e . 


m 


^i. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


213 


during  the  day.  To  oblige  us  to  keep  up  with 
them,  they  gave  us  every  day  four  or  five  men  to 
increase  the  paddling  of  our  little  vessel,  which 
was  much  heavier  than  theirs.  Sometimes  we 
cabined  when  it  rained,  and  when  the  weather 
was  not  bad,  we  slept  on  the  ground  without  any 
shelter.  We  had  all  the  time  to  contemplate 
the  stars  and  the  moon  when  it  shone.  Not- 
withstanding the  fatigue  of  the  day,  the  youngest 
of  these  Indian  warriors  danced  the  calumet  to 
four  or  five  of  their  chiefs  till  midnight,  and  the 
chief  to  whom  they  went,  sent  a  warrior  of  his 
family  in  ceremony  to  those  who  sang,  to  let  them 
in  turn  smoke  his  war  calumet,  which  is  distin- 
guished from  the  peace- calumet  by  different 
feathers.  The  end  of  this  kind  of  pandemonium 
was  terminated  every  day  by  two  of  the  youngest 
of  those  who  had  had  relations  killed  in  war  ; 
they  took  several  arrows  which  they  presented  by 
the  points  all  crossed  to  the  chiefs,  weeping 
bitterly  ;  they  gave  them  to  them  to  kiss.  Not- 
withstanding the  force  of  their  yelling,  the  fatigue 
of  the  day,  the  watching'  by  night,  the  old  men 


■■.i'r^hj^'^^^''r^-:^^'^^^--r^-*'-  ■'v^-:.^';s--;f;H-^  ■ 


-M-ftii-'n-T'  ii-      i''iiiiTf"iii«i^i'rtiifiaitili1Mthirt 


<'•!'' 


2  14- 


A  DESCRIPTION 


'ii: 


m 


-i 


IHi 


ir 


almost  all  awoke  at  daybreak  for  fear  of  being 
surprised  by  their  enemies.  As  soon  as  dawn 
appeared  one  of  them  gave  the  cry,  and  in  an 
instant  all  the  warriors  entered  their  bark  canoes, 
some  passing  around  the  islands  in  the  river  to 
kill  some  beasts,  while  the  most  alert  went  by 
land,  to  discover  whether  any  enemy's  fire  was 
to  be  seen.  It  was  their  custom  always  to  take 
post  on  the  point  of  an  island  for  safety  sake, 
for  their  enemies  have  only  periaguas,  or  wooden 
canoes,  in  which  they  cannot  sail  as  fast  as  they 
do,  on  account  of  the  weight  of  their  craft.  Only 
northern  tribes  have  birch  to  make  bark  canoes  ; 
the  southern  tribes  who  have  not  that  kind  of 
tree,  are  deprived  of  this  great  convenience.  The 
result  is  that  birch  bark  wonderfully  facilitates  the 
northern  Indians  in  going  from  lake  to  lake,  and 
by  all  rivers  to  attack  their  enemies,  and  even 
when  discovered,  they  are  safe  if  they  have  time 
to  get  into  their  canoes,  for  those  who  pursue 
them  by  land,  or  in  periaguas,  cannot  attack  or 
pursue  them  quickly  enough.* 

*■  The  Nouv.  Decouv.  p.  328,  here  introduces  a  paragraph 
on  Indian  ambuscades. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


215 


During  one  of  these  nineteen  days  of  our  very 
jpainful  navigation,  the  chief  of  a  band  by  name 
Aquipaguetin,  resolved  to  halt  about  noon  in  a 
large  prairie ;  having  killed  a  very  fat  bear,  he 
gave  a  feast  to  the  chief  men,  and  after  the  repast 
all  the  warriors  began  to  dance.  Marked  in  the 
face,  and  all  over  the  body,  with  various  colors, 
each  being  distinguished  by  the  figure  of  different 
animals,  according  to  his  particular  taste  or  in- 
clination ;  some  having  their  hair  short  and  full 
of  bear  oil,  with  white  and  red  feathers ;  others 
besprinkled  their  heads  with  the  down  of  birds 
which  adhered  to  the  oil.  All  danced  with  their 
arms  akimbo,  and  struck  the  ground  with  their 
feet  so  stoutly  as  to  leave  the  imprint  visible. 
While  one  of  the  sons  of  the  master  of  ceremo- 
nies, gave  each  in  turn  the  war-calumet  to  smoke, 
he  wept  bitterly.  The  father  in  a  doleful  voice, 
broken  with  sighs  and  sobs,  with  his  whole  body 
bathed  in  tears,  sometimes  addressed  the  warriors, 
sometimes  came  to  me,  and  put  his  hands  on  my 
head,  doing  the  same  to  our  two  Frenchmen, 
sometimes  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven  and  often 


I! 

i  I 


mm 


r  •(  ■. 


m 


i 


Hi} 

'  '  ''.\ 

z 

I- 


. 


2l6 


A  DESCRIPTION 


Uttered  the  word  Louis,  which  means  sun,  com- 
plaining to  that  great  luminary  of  the  death  of 
his  son.  As  far  as  we  could  conjecture  this  cer- 
emony tended  only  to  our  destruction  ;  in  fact, 
the  course  of  time  showed  us  that  this  Indian  had 
often  aimed  at  our  life  ;  but  seeing  the  opposition 
made  by  the  other  chiefs  who  prevented  it,  he 
made  us  embark  again,  and  employed  other 
devices  to  get  by  degrees  the  go^ds  of  our  canoe- 
men,  not  daring  to  take  them  openly,  as  he 
might  have  done,  for  fear  of  being  accused  by 
his  own  people  of  cowardice,  which  the  bravest 
hold  in  horror. 

This  wily  savage  had  the  bones  of  some  im- 
portant deceased  relative,  which  he  preserved  with 
great  care  in  some  skins  dressed  and  adorned  with 
several  rows  of  black  and  red  porcupine  quills ; 
from  time  to  time  he  assembled  his  men  to  give 
it  a  smoke,  and  he  made  us  come  several  days  in 
succession  to  cover  the  deceased's  bones  with 
goods,  and  by  a  present  wipe  away  the  tears  he 
had  shed  for  him,  and  for  his  own  son  killed  by 
the  MJamis.     To  appease  this  captious  man,  we 


;/ 


! 


^ 


♦■■■ 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


217 


threw  on  the  bones  of  the  deceased  several 
fathoms  of  French  tobacco,  axes,  knives,  beads, 
and  sottie  black  and  white  wampum  bracelets. 
In  this  way  the  Indian  stripped  us  under  pretexts, 
which  we  could  not  reproach  him  with,^as  he 
declared  that  what  he  asked  was  only  for  the  de- 
ceased, and  t(i  give  the  warriors.  In  fact,  he  dis- 
tributed among  them  all  that  we  gave  him.  By 
these  feints  he  made  us  believe  that  being  a  chief, 
he  took  nothing  for  himself,  but  what  we  gave 
him  of  our  own  accord.  We  slept  at  the  point 
of  the  lake  of  Tears,  which  we  so  called  from 
the  weeping  and  tears  which  this  chief  shed  there 
all  night  long,  or  which  were  shed  by  one  of  his 
sons,  whom  he  caused  to  weep  when  tired  him- 
self, in  order  to  excite  his  warriors  to  compassion, 
and  oblige  them  to  kill  us  and  pursue  their  ene- 
mies to  avenge  his  son's  death. 

These  Indians  at  times  sent  their  best  runners 

by  land  to  chase  the   herds  of  wild  cattle  on  the 

water   side;  as  these  animals  crossed  the  river, 

they   sometimes  killed   forty  or  fifty,  merely  to 

18 


■I  ■■ 


•.:|'l 


t 


.  m 


III 


n 


/I 


>■    .1 


'I 


2l8 


A    DESCRIPTION 


take  the  tongue,  and  most  delicate  morsels,  leav- 
ing the  rest  with  which  they  would  not  burthen 
themselves,  so  as  to  travel  more  rapidly.  We 
sometimes  indeed  eat  good  pieces,  but  without 
bread,  wine,  or  salt,  and  without  spice  or  other 
seasoning.  During  our  three  years'  *  travels  we 
had  lived  in  the  same  way,  sometimes  in  plenty, 
at  others  compelled  to  pass  twenty-four  hours, 
and  often  more,  without  eating  ;  because  in 
these  little  bark  canoes  you  cannot  take  much  of 
a  load,  and  with  every  precaution  you  adopt,  you 
are,  for  most  part  of  the  time,  deprived  of  all 
necessaries  of  life.  If  a  religious  in  Europe  un- 
derwent as  many  hardships  and  labors,  and  prac- 
tised abstinences  like  those  we  were  often  obliged 
to  suffer  in  America,  no  other  proof  would  be 
needed  for  his  canonization.  It  is  true  that  we 
did  not  always  merit  in  such  cases  and  if  we  suffered 
it  was  only  because  we  can  not  help  it. 

During  the  niglit  some  old  men  came  to  weep 
piteously,    often    rubbing    our  arms    and   whole 

*  The  Nouvelle  Decouv.,  p.  334,  has  "durinr;  the  four  years 
of  iieaily  twelve  that  I  remained  in  Ameiica." 


i 


''/ 


snanan 


T 


j 


or-     LOUISiMN.\, 


2  19 


bodies  with  their  hands,  which  they  then  put  on 
our  head.  Besides  being  hindered  from  sleeping 
by  these  tears,  I  often  did  not  know  what  to 
think,  nor  whether  these  Indians  wept  because 
some  of  their  v/arriors  would  have  killed  us,  or 
whether  they  wept  out  of  pure  compassion  at  the 
ill  treatment  shown  us. 

On  another  occasion,  Aquipaguetin  relapsed 
into  his  bad  humor  :  he  had  so  gained  most  of 
the  warriors  that  one  day  when  we  were  unable 
to  encamp  near  Narhetoba,  who  protected  us,  we 
were  obliged  to  go  to  the  very  end  of  the  camp, 
these  Indians  making  it  appear  to  us,  that  this 
chief  insisted  positively  on  killing  us.  We  accord- 
ingly drew  from  a  box  twenty  knives  and  some 
tobacco,  which  we  angrily  flung  down  amid 
the  malcontents;  the  wretch  regarding  all  his 
soldiers  one  after  another  hesitated,  asking  their 
advice,  whether  to  ref  ise  or  take  our  present ;  and 
as  we  bowed  our  head  and  presented  him  with  an 
axe  to  kill  us,  the  young  chief  who  v/as  really  or 
pretendedly  our  protector  took  us  by  the  arm, 
and  all  in  fury  led  us  to   his  cabin.     One  of  his 


i  •' 

llli 

■ 

i 


\ 


) 


if 


220 


A    DESCRIPTION 


brothers  taking  some  arrows,  he  broke  them  all 
in  our  presence,  showing  us  by  this  action,  that 
he  prevented  their  killing  us. 

The  next  day  they  left  us  alone  in  our  canoe, 
without  putting  in  any  Indians  to  help  us,  as  they 
usually  did  ;  all  remained  behind  us.  After  four 
or  five  leagues  sail  another  chief  came  to  us,  made 
us  disembark,  and  pulling  up  three  little  piles  of 
grass,  for  us  to  sit  upon,  he  took  a  piece  of  cedar 
full  of  little  round  holes  in  one  of  which  he  put 
a  stick,  which  he  spun  round  'between  the  two 
palms  of  his  hands,  and  in  this  way  made  fire  to 
light  the  tobacco  in  his  great  calumet.  After 
weeping  some  time,  and  putting  his  hands  on  my 
head,  he  gave  me  his  peace-calumet  to  smoke, 
and  showed  us  that  we  should  be  in  his  country 
in  six  days. 

Having  arrived  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  our 
navigation  five  leagues  below  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  these  Indians  landed  us  in  a  bay  and 
assembled  to  deliberate  about  us.  They  distri- 
buted us  separately,  and  gave  us  to  three  heads  of 
families  in  place  of  three  of  their  children  who 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


221 


had  been  killed  in  war.  They  first  seized  all  our 
property,  and  broke  our  canoe  to  pieces,  for  fear 
we  should  return  to  their  enemies.  Their  own 
they  hid  all  in  some  alders  to  use  when  going  to 
hunt;  and  though  we  might  easily  have  reached 
their  country  by  water,  they  compelled  us  to  go 
sixty  leagues  by  land,  forcing  us  to  march  from 
daybreak  to  two  hours  after  nightfall,  and  to  swim 
over  many  rivers,  while  these  Indians,  who  are 
often  of  extraordinary  height,  carried  our  habit 
on  their  head  ;  and  our  two  canoemen,  who  were 
smaller  than  myself,  on  their  shoulders,  because 
they  could  not  swim  as  I  cou'd.  On  leaving  the 
water,  which  was  often  full  of  sharp  ice,  I  could 
scarcely  stand  ;  our  legs  were  all  bloody  from  the 
ice  which  we  broke  as  we  advanced  in  lakes  which 
we  forded,  and  as  we  eat  only  once  in  twenty- 
four  hours  some  pieces  of  meat  which  these 
barbarians  grudgingly  gave  us,  I  wa;  >  weak 
that  I  often  lay  down  on  the  way,  resolved  to  die 
there,  rather  than  follow  these  Indians  who 
marched  on  and  continued  their  route  with  a 
celerity    which    surpasses    the    power    of  Euro- 


( 


Br    ■ 
i 


o  o  o 

*>•  ^  A« 


A     DESCRIPTION 


% 


I 


n 


\ 


h-':. 


peans.  To  oblige  us  to  hasten  on,  they  often  set 
fire  to  the  grass  of  the  prairies  where  we  were 
passing,  so  that  we  had  to  advance  or  burn.  I 
had  then  a  hat  which  I  reserved  to  shield  me 
from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  in  summer,  but 
I  often  dropped  it  in  the  flames  which  we  were 
obliged  to  cross. 

As  we  approached  their  village,  they  divided 
among  them  all  the  merchandise  of  our  two 
canoemen,*  and  were  near  killing  each  other  for 
our  roll  of  French  tobacco,  which  is  very  pre- 
cious to  these  tribes,  and  more  esteemed  than 
gold  among  Europeans.  The  more  humane 
showed  by  signs  that  they  would  give  many 
beaver-skins  for  what  they  took.  The  reason  of 
the  violence  was,  that  this  party  was  made  up 
from  two  different  tribes,  the  more  distant  of 
whom,  fearing  lest  the  others  should  retain  all 
the  goods  in  the  first  villages  which  they  would 
have  to  pass,  wished  to  take  their  share  in  ad- 
vance. In  fact,  some  time  after  they  offered 
peltries  in  part  payment ;  but  our  canoemen  would 

*  Margry,  i  p.  482.     See  Appendix  B. 


Si 


iinfflto 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


223 


not  receive  them,  until  they  gave  the  full  value 
of  all  that  had  been  taken.  And  in  course  of 
time  I  have  no  doubt  they  will  give  entire  satis- 
faction to  the  French,  whom  they  will  endeavor 
to  draw  among  them  to  carry  on  trade. 

These  savages  also  took  our  brocade  chasuble, 
and  all  the  articles  of  our  portable  chapel,  except 
the  chalice,  which  they  durst  not  touch ;  for 
seeing  that  glittering  silver  gilt,  they  closed  their 
eyes,  saying  that  it  was  a  spirit  which  would  kill 

them.*  They  also  broke  a  little  box  with  lock 
and  key,  after  telling  me,  that  if  I  did  not  break 

the  lock,  they  would  do  so  themselves  with 
sharp  stones  ;  the  reason  of  this  violence  was  that 
from  time  to  time  on  the  route,  they  could  not 
open  the  box  to  examine  what  was  inside,  having 
no  idea  of  locks  and  keys ;  besides,  they  did  not 
care  to  carry  the  box,  but  only  the  goods  which 
were  inside,  and  which  they  thought  more  numer- 
ous but  they  found  only  books  and  papers. 

After  five  days'  march  by  land,  suffering  hunger, 
thirst,  and  outrages,  marching  all  day  long  with- 

*  Margiy  i,  p.  482,     Nouv.  Decouverte,  p.  344. 


224. 


A     DESCRIPTION 


7, 

I 


4. 

r 

n 


out  rest,   fording  lakes  and  rivers,  we   descried  a 
number  of  women  and  children  coming  to  meet 
our   little   army.     All   the   elders   of  this  nation 
assembled  on  our  account,  and  as  we  saw  cabins, 
and  bundles  of  straw    hanging  from  the  posts  of 
them,  to  which  these  savages  bind  those  whom 
they  take  as  slaves,  and  burn   them  ;  and  seeing 
that   they  made   the  Picard   du  Gay  sing,   as  he 
held    and    shook    a    gourd    full    of  little   round 
pebbles  and  seeing  his  hair  and  face   were  filled 
with  paint  of  different  colors,  and  a  tuft  of  white 
feathers   attached  to  his  head  by  the  Indians,  we 
not  unreasonably  thought  that  they  wished  to  kill 
us,  as  they  performed  many  ceremonies,  usually 
practised,  when  they  intend  to  burn  their  enemies. 
The  worst  of  it  was,  too,  that  not  one  of  us  three 
could  make  himself  understood  by  these  Indians  ; 
nevertheless,  after  many  vows,  which  every  Chris- 
tian  ought  to   make  in  such  straits,*  one  of  the 
principal  Issati  chiefs  gave  us  his   peace-calumet 
to  smoke,  and  accepted  the  one  we  had  brought. 
He  then  gave  us  some  wild  rice  to  eat,  presenting 
*  "  Conjectures"  in  text,  for  "  conjonctures." 


IM 


SSE9P' 


MMHliMM 


a 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


225 


it  to  us  in  large  bark  dishes,  which  the  Indian 
women  had  seasoned  with  whortleberries,  which 
are  black  berries  that  they  dry  in  the  sun  in 
summer,  and  are  as  good  as  currants.=^  After 
this  feast,  the  best  we  had  had  for  seven  or  eight 
days,  the  heads  of  families  who  had  adopted  us 
instead  of  their  sons  killed  in  war,  conducted  us 
separately  each  to  his  village,  marching  through 
marshes,  knee  deep  in  water,  for  a  league,  after 
which  the  five  wives  of  the  one  who  called  me 
Mitchinchi,f  that  is  to  say,  his  son,  received  us 
in  three  bark  canoes,  and  took  us  a  short  league 
from  our  starting  place  to  an  island  where  their 
cabins  were. 

On  our  arrival,  which   was  about  the   Easter 

*  "  Our  Flemings  call  them  in  their  lanfruagc  Clakehesien." 
Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  347.  It  then  says  there  was  a  great  con- 
test between  Aquipaguetin  and  the  rest  in  regard  to  them 
Aquapaguetin  succeeded,  gave  him  the  calumet  to  smoke, 
adopted  him  as  his  son,  while  Nar hetoba  and  another  took  away 
the  canoemen.  The  Picard  du  Gay  went  to  confession  but 
it  adds  "  I  should  have  been  charmed  to  see  Michael  Ako  in 
similar  dispositions,"  p.  ^48.  Compare  Gravier,  Illinois  Re- 
lation, p.   20.     Jesuit  1        Recollect  agreeing  as  to  Ako. 

t  Not  \\y  the  Nouv.  Dec. 


iMfiirrrtiiiirii 


iniwiiiTiimfiii'i 


l!)- 


I'' 


226 


A  DESCRIPTION 


1 1  ? 


ft 


n 


Jii 


;  t    -'f 


holidays  in  the  year  1680,*  one  of  these  Indians 
who  seemed  to  me  decrepid  with  age,  gave  me 
a  large  calumet  to  smoke,  and  weeping  bitterly, 
rubbed  my  head  and  arms,  showing  his  com- 
passion at  seeing  me  so  fatigued,  that  two  men 
were  often  obliged  to  give  me  their  hands  to  help 
me  to  stand  up.  There  was  a  bearskin  near  the 
fire,  on  which  he  rubbed  my  thighs,  legs  and  the 
soles  of  my  feet  with  wild-cat  oil. 

Aquipaguetin's  son,  who  called  me  his  brother, 
paraded  about  with  our  brocade  chasuble  on  his 
bare  back,  having  rolled  up  in  it  a  dead  man's 
bones,  for  whom  these  people  had  a  great  venera- 
tion. The  priest's  girdle  made  of  red  and  white 
wool,  with  two  tassels  at  the  end,  served  him  for 
braces,    carrying    in    triumph     what    he    called 

Pere  Louis  Chinnien,f  which  means,  as  I  after- 
*This  is  somewhat  vague;  Easter  Sunday,  in  1680,  fell  on 
the  2ist  of  April  ;  he  was  taken  on  the  I  ith  of  April,  traveled 
nineteen  days  in  canoe,  and  five  by  land,  which  brings  him  to 
the  5th  of  ^  y.  The  Nouv.  Dec,  says,  that  he  arrived  at  the 
beginning  of  May,  and  enters  into  long  explanations. 

f  Shinna  or  Shina,  a  blanket.  Rigg's  Dakota  Diet.,  p.  189. 
Shinna  or  Shinnan  means  a  buffalo  robe.  iMinn.  Hist.,  Coll. 
I,  p.  3J0. 


it' 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


227 


wards  ascertained  "  the  robe  of  him  who  is  called 
the  sun."  After  these  Indians  had  used  this  cha- 
suble as  an  ornament  to  cover  the  bones  of  their 
dead  in  their  greatest  ceremonies,  they  presented 
it  to  some  of  their  allies,  tribes  situated  about  five 
hundred  ''^  leagues  west  of  their  country,  who 
had  sent  them  an  embassy  and  danced  the  calumet. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  Aquipaguetin,  who 
was  the  head  of  a  large  family,  covered  me  with 
a  robe  made  of  ten  large  dressed  beaver-skins,f 
trimmed  with  porcupine  quills.  This  Indian 
showed  me  five  or  six  of  his  wives,  telling  them, 
-IS  I  afterward  learned,  that  they  should  in  future 
regard  me  as  one  of  their  children  '^  He  set 
before  me  a  bark  dish  full  of  fish,  and  ordered  all 
those  assembled,  that  each  should  call  me  by  the 
name  I  was  to  have  in  the  rank  of  our  new  rela- 
tionship; and  seeing  that  I  could  not  rise  from 
the  ground   but  by  the  help  of  two  persons,  he 

*Four  or  five  hundred.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  352. 

t  Dressed  buffalo  belly  skins,  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  352,  and  adds 
that  he  gave  him  one  of  ten  beaver  skins.  The  wives  become 
six  or  seven. 

J  Nouv.  Voy.     (Voy.  au  Nord.,  v.  p.  284.) 


me^Miatilatmai 


fga^ttrnmntitm 


■  I  '  iiV<-..  I.^ilh»i<>  I 


^SnSSSaSc 


I 


n. 


if 


f 


!!  ■'     r 


228 


A   DESCRIPTION 


had  a  sweating  cabin  made,  in  which  he  made 
me  enter  quite  naked  with  four  Indians  who  all 
tied  the  end  of  their  yard  with  white  wood  bark 
before  beginning  to  sweat.  This  cabin  he  cov- 
ered with  buffalo-skins,  and  inside  in  the  middle 
he  put  stones  heated  to  a  red  heat.  He  made  me 
a  sign  to  do  like  the  others  before  beginning  to 
sweat,  but  I  merely  concealed  my  nakedness  with 
a  handkerchief  As  soon  as  these  Indians  had  sev- 
eral times  drawn  their  breath  very  violently,  he 
began  to  sing  in  a  thundering  voice,  theothers  sec- 
onded him,  all  putting  their  hands  on  my  body,  and 
rubbing  me,  while  they  wept  bitterly.  I  began  to 
faint,  but  I  came  out  of  the  cabin,  andcould  scarcti^ 
take  my  habit  to  put  on.  When  he  had  made 
me  sweat  thus  three  times  in  a  week,  I  felt  as 
strong  as  ever. 

I  often  spent  wretched  hours  among  these 
cavages;  for,  besides  their  only  giving  me  a  little 
wild  rice  and  smoked  fish  roes  to  eat  five  or  six  times 
week,  which  they  boiled  in  water  in  earthen 
pots,  Aquipaguetin  took  me  to  a  neighboring 
island  with  his  wives   and   children  to   till   the 


[^iSBS!^^ 


iijMigiJJJL'^Hf  ^ 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


229 


ground,  in  order  to  sow  some  tobacco  seed,  and 
seeds  of  vegetables  that  I  had  brought,  and  which 
this  Indian  prized  extremely.  Sometimes  he 
assembled  the  elders  of  the  village,  in  whose 
presence  he  asked  me  for  a  compass  that  I  always 
had  in  my  sleeve ;  seeing  that  I  made  the  needle 
turn  with  a  key,  and  believing  justly  that  we 
Europeans  went  all  over  the  habitable  globe, 
guided  by  this  instrument,  this  chief,  who  was 
very  eloquent,  persuaded  his  people  that  we  were 
spirits,  and  capable  of  doing  anything  beyond  their 
reach.  At  the  close  of  his  address,  which  was 
very  animated,  all  the  old  men  wept  over  my 
head,  admiring  in  me  what  they  could  not  under- 
stand. I  had  an  iron  pot  with  three  lion  feet 
which  these  Indians  never  dared  touch,  unless 
their  hand  was  wrapped  up  in  some  robe.  The 
women  had  it  hunii^  to  the  branch  of  a  tree,  not 
daring  to  enter  the  cabin  where  this  pot  was. 
I  was  some  time  unable  to  make  myself  under- 
stood by  these  people,  but  feeling  myself  gnawed 
by  hunger,  I  began  to  compile  a  dictionary  of 
their  language  by  means  of  their  children,  with 


'  fe 


230 


A    DESCRIPTION 


■!,i 


whom  I  made  myself  familiar,  in  order  to  learn. 
As  soon  as  I  could  catch  the  word  Taketchi- 
abihen,*  which  means  in  their  language,  "  How 
do  you  call  that,"  I  became,  in  a  little  while, 
able  to  converse  with  them  on  familiar  things. 
At  first,  indeed,  to  ask  the  word  run  in  their 
language,  I  had  to  quicken  my  steps  from  one 
end  of  their  large  cabin  to  the  other.  The  chiefs 
of  these  savages  seeing  my  desire  to  learn,  often  "j* 
made  me  write,  naming  all  the  parts  of  the  human 
body,  and  as  I  would  not  put  on  paper  certain 
indelicate  words,  about  which  these  people  have 
no  scruples,  it  afforded  them  an  agreeable  amuse- 
ment among  themselves.  They  often  put  me 
questions,  but  as  I  had  to  look  at  my  paper,  to 
answer  them,  they  said  to  one  another  :  "  When 
we  ask  Pere  Louis  (for  so  they  had  heard  our 
two  Frenchmen   call  me),  he  does    not  answer 

*  Talcn  kapi  he,  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  i  p.  311.  Takn  kipan 
he.     Riggs'  Dakota  Diet.,  p.  130,  194. 

\  "  Often  said  to  me  f^atchhon  egagah'c^  that  is  to  say  :  Spirit 
you  take  great  pains,  put  black  on  the  white."  Nouv.  Decouv., 
P<  359?  (Pi-'rliaps,  wotehike,  trouble  ;  icagopi,  mark.  Riggs' 
Diet.,  p.  334,  310.) 


■1:1 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


231 


US  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  has  looked  at  what  is  white 
(for  they  have  no  word  to  say  paper),  he  answers 
us,  and  tells  us  his  thoughts  ;  that  white  thing," 
said  they,  "  must  be  a  spirit  which  tells  Pere 
Louis  all  we  say."  They  concluded  that  our  two 
Frenchmen  had  not  so  much  intelligence  as  I, 
because  they  could  not  work  like  me  on  what 
was  white.  In  consequence  the  Indians  believed 
that  I  could  do  everything ;  when  the  rain  fell 
in  such  quantities  as  to  incommode  them,  or  pre- 
vent their  going  to  hunt,  they  told  me  to  stop  it ; 
but  then  I  knew  enough  to  answer  them  by 
pointing  to  the  clouds,  that  he  who  was  great 
chief  of  heaven,  was  master  of  everything,  and 
that  what  they  bid  me  do,  did  not  depend  on  me. 
These  Indians  often  asked  me  how  many  wives 
and  children  I  had,  and  how  old  I  was,  that  is, 
how  many  winters,  for  so  these  nations  always 
count.  These  men,  never  illumined  by  the  light 
of  faith,  were  surprised  at  the  answer  I  made 
them  ;  for  pointing  to  our  two  Frenchmen  whom 
I  had  then  gone  to  visit  three  leagues  trom  our 
village,  I  told  them  that  a  man  among  us  could 


mm 


mftaim 


mm 


i^SSSBBSSSBBi 


I 


232 


A  DESCRIPTION 


i 


have  only  one  wife  till  death  ;  that  as  for  me,  I 
had  promised  the  Ma^tev  of  life  to  live  as  they 
saw  me,  and  10  come  and  dwell  with  them  to  teach 
them  *  that  he  would  have  them  be  like  the 
French  ;  that  this  great  Master  of  life  had  sent 
down  fire  from  heaven,  and  destroyed  a  nation 
given  to  enormous  crimes,  like  those  committed 
among  them.  But  that  L^ross  people  till  then, 
lawless  and  faithless,  turned  all  I  said  into  ridicule. 
"  How,"  said  they,  "  would  you  have  those  two 
men  with  you  get  wives  ?  Our  women  would 
not  live  with  them,  for  they  have  hair  all  over 
the  face,  and  we  have  none  there  or  elsewhere."+ 
In  fact,  they  were  never  better  pleased  with  me, 
than  when  I  was  shaved  ;  and  from  a  complais- 
ance certainly  not  criminal,  I  shaved  every  week. 
All  our  new  kinsfolk  seeing  that  I  wished  to 
leave  them,  made  a  packet  of  beaver  skins  worth 
more  than  six  hundred  livres  among  the  French. 

*  From  this  to  "  abundant  country  "  is  omitted  in  the  Nouv. 
Decouverte. 

f  Brother  Sagard,  a  Recollect  like  Hennepin,  but  whose 
works  Hennepin  seems  not  to  have  used,  gives  a  similar  remark 
as  made  by  the  Hurons.     Histoire.  du  Canada,  p.  377. 


3 


m 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


233 


These  peltries  they  gave  me  to  induce  me  to  re- 
main among  them,  to  introduce  me  to  strange 
nations  that  were  coming  to  visit  them,  and  in 
restitution  for  what  they  had  robbed  me  of;  but 
I  refused  these  presents,  telHng  them  that  I  had 
not  come  among  them  to  gather  beaver-skins, 
but  only  to  make  known  to  them  the  will  of  the 
great  Master  of  life,  and  to  live  wretchedly  with 
them,  after  having  left  a  most  abundant  country. 
"  It  is  true,"  said  they,  "  that  we  have  no  game 
in  these  parts,  and  that  you  sp'fer,  but  wait  till 
summer,  then  we  will  go  and  kill  buffalo  in  the 
warm  country."  I  should  have  been  satisfied  had 
they  fed  me  as  they  did  their  children,  but  they 
eat  secretly  at  night  unknown  to  me.  Although 
women  are,  everywhere  more  kind  and  com- 
passionate than  men,  they  gave  what  little 
fish  they  had  to  their  children,  regarding  me  as 
a  slave  made  by  their  warriors  in  their  enemies' 
country,  and  they  reasonably  preferred  their 
children's  lives  to  mine. 

There  were  some  old  men  who  often  came  to 
19 


? 


I 


1 

i 

I 


; 


■ 


23  + 


A    DESCRIPTION 


weep  over  my  head  in  a  sighing  voice,  one  saying, 
"  my  grandson,"  another,  "  my  nephew,  I  feel  sorry 
to  see  you  without  eating,  and  to  learn  how  badly 
our  warriors  treated  you  on  the  way ;  they  are 
young  braves,  without  sense,  who  would  have  killed 
you,  and  have  robbed  you  of  all  you  have.  Had 
you  wanted  buffalo  or  beaver-robes,  we  would 
wipe  away  your  tears,  but  you  will  have  nothing 
of  what  we  offer  you." 

Ouasicoude,  that  is,  the  Pierced-pine,*  the 
greatest  of  all  the  slati  chiefs,  being  very  indig- 
nant at  those  who  had  so  maltreated  us,  said,  in 
open  council,  that  those  who  had  robbed  us  of 
all  we  had,  were  like  hungry  curs  that  stealthily 

snatch  a  bit  of  meat  from  the  bark   ,  and  then 

fly  ;  so  those  who  had  acted  thus  toward  us,  de- 
served to  be  regarded  as  dogs,  since  they  insulted 
men  who  brought  them  iron  and  merchandise, 
which  they  had  never  had  for  their  use;  that  he 
would  find  means  to  punish  the  one  who  had  so 

*  Wazilcute,  The  Shooter  of  the  Pines.  Minn.  Hist.  Coll., 
i  p.  316.  Long  in  1823,  met  a  Dakota  at  Red  Wing  who  bore 
this  same  name.  Long's  Travels.  Wazi,  pine  ;  Icutc,  to  shoot. 
Riggs'  Dakota  Diet.  pp.  239,  134. 


,: 


hESh^S 


-.-Sr«4£BH 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


235 


outraged  us.     This  is  what  the  brave  chief  showed 
to  all  his  nation,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter. 

As  I  often  went  to  visit  the  cabins  of  these  last 
nations,  I  found  a  sick,  child,  whose  father's  name 
was  Mamenisi ;  having  a  moral  certainty  of  its 
death,  I  begged  our  two  Frenchmen  to  tell  me 
their  opinions,  informing  them  I  believed  myself 
obliged  to  go  and  baptize  it.  Michael  Ako  would 
not  accompany  me,  the  Picard  du  Gay  alo*-  ^ 
followed  me  to  act  as  sponsor,  or  rather  as  witness  of 
the  baptism.*  I  christened  the  child  Antoinette  in 
honor  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  as  well  as  from 
the  Picard's  name  which  was  Anthony  Auguellc. 
He  was  a  native  of  Amiens,  and  a  nephew  of  Mr. 
de  Cauroy,  procurator -general  of  the  Premon- 
stratensians,"-'  both  now  at  Paris.  Having  poured 
natural  .water  on  the  head  of  this  Indian  child, 
and  uttered  these  words :  "  Creature  of  Go*:!,  I 
baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  I  took  half  an 
altar  cloth  which  I  had  wrested  from  the  hands 

*  And  attei  wards  Abbot  of  Bcaulieu.     Nouv.    Decouv.,  p. 
365.  Margry  i  p.  478,  mentions  the  Picard's  being  at  Pisar. 


11 J I 


*  i 
"'I 


236 


A    DESCRIPTION 


of  an  Indian  who  had  stolen  it  from  me,  and  put 
it  on  the  body  of  the  baptized  child  ;  for  as  I 
could  not  say  mass  for  want  of  wine  and  vest- 
ments, this  piece  of  linen  could  not  be  put  to  a 
better  use,  than  to  enshroud  the  first  Christian 
child  among  these  tribes.  I  do  not  know 
whether  the  softness  of  the  linen  had  refreshed 
this  newly  baptized  one  because  she  was  smiling 
the  next  day  in  her  mother's  arms,  who  believed 
that  I  had  cured  her  child,  but  she  died  soon 
after  to  my  great  consolation.* 

During  our  stay  among  the  Issati  or  Nadou- 
es  iou,  we  saw  Indians  who  came  as  ambassadors 
from  about  five  hundred  leagues  to  the  west. 
They  informed  us  that  the  Assenipovalacs  f  were 
then  only  seven  or  eight  days  distant  to  the  north- 
east of  us  ;  all  the  other  known  tribes  on  the 
west  and  north-west  inhabit  immense  plains  and 

liries  abounc 


prai 


ing 


peltri( 


♦  He  expatiates  on  this  subject   in  the  Nouv.   Decouv.,  p. 
367,  as  he  does  on  Michael  Ako's  religious  indifterence. 

f  Assiniboins. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


237 


they  are   sometimes  obliged   to  make  fires  with 
buffalo  dung,  for  want  of  wood.* 

TLreemonthsf  after,  all  these  nations  assembled, 
and  the  chiefs  having  regulated  the  places  for 
hunting  the  buffalo,  they  dispersed  in  several 
bands  so  as  not  to  starve  each  other,  Aquipa- 
quetin,  one  of  the  chiefs,  who  had  adopted  me  as 
his  son,  wished  to  take  me  to  the  west  with  about 
two  hundred  families ;  I  made  answer  that  I 
awaited  spirits  (so  they  called  Frenchmen),  at  the 
river  Oiiiscousin,  which  empties  into  the  river 
Colbert,  who  were  to  join  me  to  bring  them 
merchandise,  and  that  if  he  chose  to  go  that  way, 
I  would  continue  with  him  ;  he  would  have  gone 
there  but  for  those  of  his  nation.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  July,  1680,  we   descended   in  canoe 

I  This  paragraph  is  in  Margry  i,  p.  483.  See  Appendix  B. 
The  Nouv.  Dccouv.,  says  they  were  four  moons  on  the  way 
without  stopping  and  knew  no  strait  liice  that  of  Anian,  or  sea, 
p.  369.  He  enters  into  details  of  what  they  saw  and  offers  to 
accompany  an  English  or  Dutch  expedition  and  reach  the 
Pacific  bv  the  riven  he  discovered. 


I 


I  Two  months,  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  374. 


I 


f 


238 


A    DESCRIPTION 


southward  with  the  great  chief  named  Ouasi- 
coude,*  that  is  to  say,  the  Pierced-pine,  with  about 
eighty  cabins,  composed  of  more  than  a  hundred 
and  thirty  iamilies,  and  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  warriors.  Scarcely  would  the  Indians  give 
me  a  place  in  their  little  craft,  for  they  had  only 
old  canoes.  They  went  four  days'  journey  lower 
down  to  get  birch  bark  t'  make  some  more. 
Having  made  a  hole  in  the  ground  to  hide  our  silver 
chalice  and  our  papers  till  we  returned  from  the 
hunt,  and  keeping  only  our  breviary,  so  as  not  to 
be  burthensome,  I  stood  on  the  bank  of  a  lake 
formed  by  the  river  we  had  called  by  the  name  of 
St.  Francis,  and  stretched  out  my  hand  to  the  canoes 
as  they  rapidly  passed  in  succession;  our  French- 
men also  had  one  for  themselves,  which  the 
Indians  had  given  them  ;  they  would  not  take  me 
in,  Michael  Ako  saying  that  he  had  taken  me  long 
enough  to  satisfy  him.      I  was  much  hurt  at  this 

*  In  the    Nou  •.  Voy.  (Voy.  au  Nord.,  v.  p.   286,  this  chie 
is  said  to  have  adopted  Hennepin  as  a  brother.      His  power  was 
absolute,  and  was  actiuircd  by  valor  in  war  against  seventeen  or 
eighteen  hostile  tribes. 


T^H 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


239 


answer,  seeing  myself  thus  abandoned  by  *  Chris- 
tians, to  whom  I  had  always  done  good,  as  they 
both  often  acknowledged ;  but  God  having  never 
abandoned  me  in  that  painful  voyage,  prompted  two 
Indians  to  take  me  in  their  very  small  canoe,  where 
I  had  no  other  employment  than  to  bale  out  with  a 
little  bark  platter  the  water  which  entered  by  little 
holes.     This  I  did  not  do  without  getting  all  wet. 
This  boat  might,  indeed,  be  called  a  coffin,  trom 
its  lightness  and  fragility.     This  kind   of  canoe 
does  not  generally  weigh  over   tifty  pounds ;  the 
least  motion  of  the  body  upsets  them,  unless  you 
are  long  habituated  to  that  kind  of  navigation. 
On  dis-mbarking  in   the  evening,  the   Picard,  as 
an  excuse,   told  me  that  their    canoe   was    half 
rotten,  and   that,   had   we  been   three   in    it,  we 
should  have  run  a  great  risk  of  remaining  on  the 
way.     Notwithstanding  this  excuse  I  told  hin, 
that  being  Christians,  they  should   never  act  so, 
especially  among  savages,  more  than  eight  hundred 

*  The  Nt»uv.  Dec,  has  caiioemsn  or  some  similar  term  to 
avoid  the  word  French,  bat  here  says  "men  of  m/  o,v.i  naiion 
and  religion,"  p.  376. 


{ 


240 


A   DESCRIPTION 


11 


Ji 


leagues  from  the  French  settlements ;  that  if  they 
were  well  received  in  this  country,  it  was  only 
in  consequence  of  my  bleeding  some  asthmatic 
Indians,  and  my  giving  some  orvietan  ■•'  and  other 
remedies  which  I  kept  in  my  sleeve,  and  by 
which  I  had  saved  the  lives  of  some  of  these 
Indians  who  had  been  bit  by  rattlesnakes,  and 
because  I  had  neatly  shaved  their  tonsure,  which 
Indian  children  wear  to  the  age  of  eighteen  or 
twenty,  but  have  no  way  of  making  it  themselves 
except  by  burning  the  hair  with  flat  stones  heated 
red  hot.  I  reminded  them  that  by  my  ingenuity 
I  had  gained  the  friendship  of  these  people,  who 
would  have  killed  us  or  made  us  suiler  more,  had 
they  not  discovered  about  me  those  remedies 
which  they  prize,  when  they  restore  the  sick  to 
health.  However,  the  Picard  only,  as  he  retired 
to  his  host's,  apologised  to  me.f 

*  An  antidote  for  poison  said  by  some  to  have  been  invented 
by  Orvistano  an  Italian. 

f  According  to  the  Nouv.  Decouv.,  Ouasicoude  was  indig- 
nant and  was  going  to  punish  and  even  kill  Hennepin's  com- 
panions for  their  treatment  of  him. 


't 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


241 


Four  days  after  our   departure  for  the  buffalo 
hunt,  we  hahed  eight  leagues  above  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony  of  Padua  on   an  eminence   opposite 
the   mouth    of  the   river   St.   Francis  ;  here  the 
Indian    women   made   their  canoe  frames,  while 
waiting  for  tnose  who  were  to  bring  bark  to  make 
canoes.     The  young  men  went  to  hunt  stag,  deer, 
and  beaver,  but  killed  so  few  animals   for  such  a 
large  party,  that  wc  could  very  rarely  get  a  bit  of 
meat,  having  to  put  up  with  a  broth  once  in  every 
twenty-four  hours.     The  Picard  and  myself  went 
to  look  for  haws,    gooseberries,  and  little   wild 
fruit,  which   often  did  us   more  harm  than   good 
when  we  ate  them  ;  this  obliged  us  two  to   go 
alone,  as   Michael    Ako   refused,  in  a   wretched 
canoe  to  Oviscousin*  river,  which  was  more  than 
a  hundred  f  leagues  off,  to  see  whether  the  sieur 
de  la  Salle  had  not  sent  to  that  place  a  reinforce- 
ment of  French  men,  \  ith  powder,  lead,  and  other 

*  Wisconsin. 
f  One  hundred  and  thirty.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  382. 


iWl>i|WHI."WI.«>ll'««g'-'>' 


'it 


I 


\\ 


242 


A   DESCRIPTION 


munitions,  as  he  had  piomised  us  on  our  departure 
from  the  Islinois.* 

The  Indians  would  not  have  suffered  this  voy- 
age, had  not  one  of  the  three  remained  with  them ; 
they  wished  me  to  stay,  but  Michael  Ako  abso- 
lutely refused.  Our  whole  stock  was  fifteen 
charges  of  powder,  a  gun,  a  wretched  little  earthen 
pot  which  the  Indians  had  given  us,  a  knife,  and 
a  beaver  robe,  to  travel  about  two  hundred  f 
leagues,  thus  abandoning  ourselves  to  Providence. 
As  we  were  making  the  portage  of  our  canoe  at 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  we  perceived 
five  or  six  of  our  Indians  who  had  taken  the  start ; 
one  of  whom  had  cli  ubed  an  oak  opposite  the 
great  fall  where  he  was  weeping  bitterly,  with  a 
well-dressed  beaver  robe,  whitened  inside  and 
trimmed  with  porcupine  quills  which  this  savage 
was  offering  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  falls,  which  is  in 
itself  admirable  and  frightful.  I  heard  him  while 
shedding  copious  tears  say,  addressing  this  great 
cataract :  "  Thou   who  art  a   spirit,    grant    that 

*  He  mentions  this  arrangement  with  La  Salle.      Nouv.  Dec, 
pp.  375  and  382.      It  is  also  in  Margry's  Rel.,  ii,  p.  257. 
f  Two  hundred  and  fifty.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  383. 


J'  ,! 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


243 


the  men  of  our  nation  may  pass  here  quietly 
without  accident,  that  we  may  kill  buffalo  in 
abundance,  conquer  our  enemies,  and  bring  slaves 
here,  some  of  whom  we  will  put  to  death  *  before 
thee;  the  Messentcqr.f  (so  they  call  the  tribe 
named  by  the  French  Outouagamis),  have  killed 
our  kindred,  grant  that  we  may  avenge  them." 
In  fact,  after  the  heat  of  the  buffalo-hunt,  they 
invaded  their  enemies'  country,  killed  some,  and 
brought  others  as  slaves.  If  they  succeed  a 
single  tim.,  even  after  repeated  failures,  they  ad- 
here to  their  superstition.  This  robe  offered  in 
sacrifice  served  one  of  our  Frenchmen,  who  took 
it  as  we  returned.|' 

A  league  be'.ow  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  of 
P:idua,  the  Picard  was  obliged  to  land  and  get  his 

*  "  After  making  them   sufFer  greatly."     Nouv.  Decouv.,  p. 

384- 

t  Riggs  in  his  Dakota  Diet.,  p.  34,  gives  "  Besdeke,  the  Fox 
Indians."  If  Hennepin's  qz.  was  the  old  fashioned  contraction 
for  que,  the  word  is  almost  identical  except  in  the  first  letter. 

X  Parkman,  Discovery,  p.  246,  makes  this  an  offering  to 
Oanktayhee,  the  principal  deity  of  the  Sioux,  who  was  supposed 
to  live  under  these  falls.     See  Carver. 


T 


I 
;f 


i 


rl 


i- 


I 


m 


ill 


244 


A   DESCRIPTION 


powder-horn  which  he  had  left  at  the  falls.  On 
his  return,  I  showed  him  a  snake  ahout  six  feet  * 
long  crawling  up  a  straight  and  preciptous  moun- 
tain and  which  gradually  gained  on  some  swallow's 
nests  to  eat  the  young  ones ;  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  we  saw  the  feathers  of  those  he  had 
apparently  eaten,  and  we  pelted  him  down  with 
stones. 

As  we  descended  the  river  Colbert,  we  found 
some  of  our  Indians  cabined  in  the  islands,  loaded 
with  buffalo-meat,  some  of  which  they  gave  us, 
and  two  hours  after  our  landing,  fifteen  or  sixteen 
warriors  of  the  party  whom  we  had  left  above  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  entered  tomahawk 
in  hand,  overthrew  the  cabin  of  those  who  had 
invited  us,  took  all  the  meat  and  bear's  oil  that 
they  found,  and  greased  themselves  with  it  from 
head  to  foot ;  we  at  first  took  them  to  be  enemies, 
but  one  of  those  who  called  himself  my  uncle, 
told  me,  that  having  gone  to  the  buffalo-hunt 
before  the  rest,  contrary  to  the  maxims  of  the 
country,   any  one  had  a  right  to  plunder   them, 

*  In  the  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  385,  seven  or  eight  feet. 


;j 


OP  LOUISIANA. 


245 


because  tlity  put  the  buftaloes  to  flight  before  the 
arrival  of  the  mass  of  the  nation. 

During  sixty  leagues  that  we  sailed  down  the 
river,  we  killed  only  one  deer,  swimming  across, 
but  the  heat   was  so  great  that  the  meat  spoiled 
in  twenty-four    hours.     This  made   us  look    tor 
turtles,   which   we   found  hard   to   take,  as  their 
hearing  is  so  acute,  that  as  soon  as  they  hear  the 
least   noise,   they  jump   quickly    into   the  water. 
We,  however,   took   one   much  larger   than   the 
rest,  with  a  thinner  shell  and  fatter  meat.     While 
I  was  trying  to  cut  off  his  head,  he  all  but  cut  off 
one  of  my  fingers.     We  had   drawn   one  end  of 
our  canoe  ashore,  when  a  violent  gust  of  wind 
drove  it  into  the  middle  of  the  great   river ;  the 
Picard  had  gone  with  a  gun   into   the  prairie  to 
try  and  kill  a  buffalo  ;  so  I  quickly  pulled  off  our 
habit,  and  threw  it  on  the  turtle  with  some  stones 
to  prevent  its  escaping,  and  swam  after  our  canoe 
which  went  very  fast  down  the  stream, as  the  current 
was  very  strong  at  that  point.     Having  reached 
it  with  much  difliculty,  I  durst  not  git  in  for  fear 
of  upsetting  it,  so  I  either  pushed  it  before  me. 


T 


rr 


246 


A  DESCRIPTION 


or  drew  it  after  me,  and  thus  little  by  little  reached 
the  shore  about  one  eighth  of  a  league  from  the 
place  where  I  had  the  turtie.  The  Picard  finding 
only  our  habit,  and  not  seeing  the  canoe,  naturally 
believed  that  some  Indian  had  killed  me.  He 
retired  to  the  prairie  to  look  all  around  whether 
there  were  no  people  there.  Meanwhile  I  re- 
mounted the  river  with  all  diligence  in  the  canoe, 
and  had  just  put  on  my  habit,  when  I  saw  more 
than  sixty  buffalo  crossing  the  river  to  reach  the 
south  lands ;  I  pursued  the  animals,  calling  the 
Picard  with  all  my  might ;  he  ran  up  at  the 
noise  and  had  time  to  reenter  the  canoe,  while  the 
dog  which  had  jumped  into  the  water  had  driven 
them  into  an  island.  Having  given  them  chase 
the^e,  they  were  crossing  back  when  he  shot  one, 
which  was  so  heavy  that  we  could  get  it  ashore 
only  in  pieces,  being  obliged  to  cut  the  best 
morsels,  while  the  rest  of  the  body  was  in  the 
water.  And  as  it  was  almost  twice  twenty-four 
hours  since  we  had  eaten,  we  made  a  fire  with 
the  drift-wood  we  often  found  on  the  sand  ;  and 
while   the   Picard    was  skinning   the   animal,   I 


I 


3^' it 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


247 


cooked  the   pieces  of  this   fat  meat  in  our  little 
earthen  pot ;  we  eat  it  so  eagerly  that  we  both 
fell  sick,  and  had  to  stay  two  days  in  an  island 
to   recover.     VVe  could  not   take  it  uch   of  the 
meat  witl    us,  our  canoe  was  so  small,  and  besides 
the  excessive  heat  spoiled  it,  so  that  we  were  all 
at  once  deprived  of  it,  as  it  was  full  of  worms ; 
and  when  we  embarked  in  the  morning,  we  did 
not  know  what  we  should  eat  during  the  day. 
Never  have  we  more  admired  God's  providence 
than   during  this  voyage,  for  we  did  not  always 
find  deer,    and  could   not    kill   them    when   we 
would  ;  but  the  eagles,  which  are  very  common 
in  these  vast  countries,  scMiietimes   dropped  from 
their  claws  bream,  or  large  carp,  which  they  were 
carrying  to  their  nests.     Another  time  we  found 
an  otter  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Colbert  eating 
a  large  fish,  which  had,  running  from  the  head, 
a  kind  of  paddle  or  beak,'^'  five  fingers  broad  and 
a  foot  and  a  half  long,  which  made  our   Picard 
say,  that  he  thought  he  saw  a  devil   in  the  paws 
of  that  otter  :   but  his  fright  did  not  prevent  our 
*  The  spade  fish. 


II  ti         w  •"     ^  in* 


ill 


^ 


k 
n' 


!' 


u\ 


if 


% 


i'l 


248 


A   DESCRIPTION 


^ 


eating  this   monstrous  ftsh  which  we  found  very 
good. 

While  seeking  the  Oviscousin  river,  Aquipag- 
uetin,  that  savage  father,  whom  I  had  left,  and 
whom  we  believed  more  than  two  hundred 
leagues  away,  suddenly  appeared  with  ten  warriors, 
on  the  I  ith  *  of  July,  1680.  We  believed  that 
he  was  coming  to  kill  us,  because  we  had  left 
him,  with  the  knowledge  indeed  of  the  other 
Indians,  but  against  his  will.  He  first  gave  us 
some  wild-rice,  and  a  slice  of  buffalo-meat  to  eat, 
and  asked  whether  we  had  found  the  Frenchmen 
who  were  to  bring  us  goods ;  but  not  being  sat- 
isfied with  what  we  told  him,  he  started  before  us, 
and  went  himself  to  Oviscousin  to  try  and  carry 
off  what  he  could  from  the  French;  this  savage 
found  no  one  there,  and  came  and  rejoined  us 
three  days  after.  The  Ficard  had  gone  in  the 
prairies  to  hunt,  and  I  was  alone  in  a  ittle  cabin 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  I  had  made  to 
screen  us  from  the  sun,  with  a  blanket  that  an 
Indian  had  given  me  back.     Aquipaguetin  seeing 

•  About  the  middle.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  395. 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


249 


me  alone  came  up,  tomahawk  in  hand  :  I  laid 
hold  of  two  pocket-pistols,  which  the  Picard  had 
got  back  from  the  Indians,  and  a  knife,  not  in- 
tending to  kill  this  would  be  Indian  father  of 
mine  but  only  to  frighten  him,  and  prevent  his 
crushing  me,  in  case  he  had  that  intention. 
Aquipaguetin  reprimanded  me  for  exposing  my- 
self thus  to  the  insults  of  their  enemies,  saying 
that  I  should  at  least  take  the  other  bank  of  the 
river  for  greater  safety.  He  wished  to  take  me 
with  him,  telling  me  that  he  was  with  three  hun- 
dred hunters,  who  killed  more  buffalo  than  those 
to  whom  I  had  abandoned  myself  I  would  have 
done  well  to  follow  his  advice,  for  the  Picard 
and  myself  ='=  ascending  the  river  almost  eighty 
leagues  on  the  way,  ran  great  risk  of  perishing  a 
thousand  times. 

We  had  only  ten  charges  of  powder  left  which 
we  were  obliged  to  divide  into  twenty  to  kill 
wild  pigeons,    or  turtle-doves  ;  but   when  these 

*  According  to  the  Nouv.  Dccouv.  p.  396,  they  kept  on  to 
the  Wisconsi  1,  but  not  finding  La  Salle's  men,  sailed  up  again, 
as  is  implied  here. 
20 


I    i 


■is 

i  1     ! 


! 


250 


A    DESCRIPTION 


at  last  gave  out  we  had  recourse  to  three  hooks, 
which  we  baited  with  bits  of  putrid  cattish 
dropped  by  an  eagle.  For  two  whole  days  we 
took  nothing,  and  were  thus  destitute  of  all  sup- 
port when,  during  night  prayer,  as  we  were  re- 
peating these  words  addressed  to  St.  Anthony  of 
Padua, 

"  Pereunt  pericula,  cessat  et  necessitas," 

the  Picard  heard  a  noise,  left  his  prayers,  and  ran 
to  our  hooks  which  he  drew  from  the  waters 
with  two  catfish  so  large  that  I  had  to  go  and 
help  him.*  Without  cleaning  the  slime  from 
these  monstrous  fish  we  cut  them  in  pieces,  and 
roasted  them  on  the  coals,  our  only  little  earthen 
pot  having  been  broken.  Two  hours  after  night- 
fall, Mamenisi,  the  father  of  the  little  Indian 
girl,  that  I  had  baptized  before  she  died,  joined 
us  and  gave  us  buffalo  meat  at  discretion. 

The  next  day  the  Indians  whom  we  had  left 
with  Michael  Ako,  came  down  fromf   Buffalo 

*  In  the  Nouv.  Decouv  p.  398,  they   first  took  a  small  turtle, 
and  took  the  cattish  after  reaching  BulTalc  liver. 

t  Instead  of" "from"  the  Nouv.  Dec,  has  "  this." 


I, 


(* 


I  , 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


251 


river  with  their  flotilla  of  canoes  loaded  with 
meat.  Aquipaguetin  had,  as  he  passed,  told  how 
exposed  the  Picard  and  I  had  been  while  on  our 
voyage,  and  the  Indian  chiefs  represented  to  us  the 
cowardice  of  Michael  Ako,  who  had  refused  to 
undertake  it,  for  fear  of  dying  by  hunger.  And 
had  I  not  stopped  him,  the  Picard  would  have 
insulted  him. 

All  the  Indian  women  hid  their  stock  of  meat 
at  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  river,  and  in  the  islands, 
and  we  again  went  down  the  river  Colbert  about 
eighty  leagues  way  to  hunt  with  this  multitude  of 
canoes;  from  time  to  time  the  Indians  hid  their 
canoes  on  the  banks  of  the  river  and  in  the  is- 
lands ;  then  struck  into  the  prairies  seven  or 
eight  leagues  beyond  the  mountains,  where  they 
killed,  at  different  times,  as  many  as  a  hundred  and 
twenty  buffaloes..  They  always  left  some  of 
their  old  men  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains  to  be 
on  the  lookout  for  their  enemies.  One  day  when 
I  was  dressing  the  foot  of  one  who  called  him- 
self my  brother,  and  who  had  run  a  splinter  deep 
into  his  foot,  an  alarm  was  given   in  the  camp, 


rs's^'wfw 


fi 


!  i' 


I 


I » 


'i 


252 


A  DESCRIPTION 


two  hundred  bowmen  ran  out ;  and  that  brave 
Indian,  although  I  had  just  made  a  deep  incision 
in  the  sole  of  his  toot  to  draw  out  the  wood,  which 
had  been  driven    in,  left  me  and  ran  even   faster 
than  the  rest,  not  to  be  deprived  of  the  glory  of 
righting,  but  instead  i-f  enemies,  they  found  only 
abouteightystags,which  took  flight,  'ihe  wounded 
man   could  scarcely   regain    the  camp.     During 
this  alarm,  all  the  Indian  women  sang  in  a  lugu- 
brious tone.     The  Picard  left  me  to  join  his  host, 
and  I  remaining   with  one  called  Otchimbi,  was 
subjected  to  carrying  in  my  canoe  an  Indian  woman 
more  than  eighty  years  old.      For  all  her  great  age, 
this   old   woman    threatened   to  strike  with    her 
paddle  three   children   who   troubled    us   in   the 
middle  of  our  canoe.     The  men  treated  me  well 
enough,  but  as  the  meat   was  almost   entirely  at 
the  disposal  of  the  women,  I  was   compelled,  in 
order  Ko  get  some,  to  make  their   children's  ton- 
sures about  as  large  as  those  worn  by  our  religious, 
for  these  little  savages  wear  them  to   the  age  of 
fifteen  or  sixteen,  and  their  parents  make  them 
with  red  hot  stones. 


*  I' 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


253 


We  had  another  alarm  in  our  camp  :  the  old 
men  on  duty  on  the  top  of  the  mountains  an- 
nounced that  they  saw  two  *  warriors  in  the 
distance;  all  the  bowmen  hastened  there  with 
speed,  each  trying  to  outstrip  the  others ;  but 
they  brought  back  only  two  women  of  their  own 
nation,  who  came  to  report  that  a  party  of  their 
people  who  were  hunting  near  the  extremity  of 
Lake  Cond6,  had  found  five  spirits  (so  they  call 
the  French)  ;  who,  by  means  of  one  of  their 
slaves,  had  expressed  a  wish  to  come  on, 
knowing  us  to  be  among  them,  in  order  to  find 
out  whether  we  were  English,  Dutch,  Spaniards, 
or  Frenchmen,  being  unable  to  understand  how 
we  could  have  reached  those  tribes  by  so  wide  a 
circuit. 

On  the  25th  f  of  July,  1680,  as  we  were 
ascending  the  river  Colbert  after  the  buffalo-hunt, 
to  the  Indian  villages  we  met  the  Sieur  de  Luth, 

*  Omitted  in  Nouv.  Dec. 

f  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  407,  says  28th.,  Du  L'hut  confirms 
Hennepin's  account  ;  and  the  Jesuit  Father  Rafteix  in  1688, 
refers  to  it  as  a  fact.  See  Appendix,  C,  Du  L'hut,  gives  no 
date.      He  makes  hi»  party  four. 


■■.uu-V'^:^— 


-■»■».  »-»-.-».— ^ —  «>    ,       ...^  .  Jl.»TS^WH 


254- 


A   DESCRIPTION 


.^       I,: 


ij;l      i, 


I      ' 


^    •' 


•<l 


who  came  to  the  Nadoussious,  with  five  French 
soldiers ;  they  joined  us  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  leagues  distant  from  the  country  of  the 
Indians  who  had  taken  us;"-'  as  we  had  some 
knowledge  of  their  language,  they  begged  us  to 
accompany  them  to  the  villages  of  those  tribes, 
which  I  did  readily,  knowing  that  these  French- 
men had  not  approached  the  sacraments  for  two 
years.  The  Sieur  de  Luth,  who  acted  as  captain, 
seeing  me  tired  of  tonsuring  the  children,  and 
bleeding  asthmatic  old  men  to  get  a  mouthful  of 
meat,  told  the  Indians  that  I  was  his  elder 
brother,  so  that,  having  my  subsistence  secured, 
I  labored  only  for  the  salvation  of  these  Indians. 
We  arrived  at  the  villages  of  the  Issati  on  the 
14th  of  August,  1680.  I  found  our  chalice  and 
our  papers  still  there  which  I  had  hidden  in  the 
ground  ;  the  tobacco  which  I  had  planted,  had 

*  This  would  make  him  meet  de  L'hut's  party  some  where 
below  the  Illinois,  according  to  his  description  of  the  river.  In 
the  Nouvelle  Decouvertc,  p.  408,  he  says,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  which  would  bring  it  just  below  the  Wisconsin.  In  an 
account  in  the  appendix  it  became  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues. 
De  L'hut  himself  says  eighty  leagues  below  the  St.  Croix,  that 
is  about  the  mouth  of  Black  River. 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


255 


been  choked  by  the  weeds ;  the  turnips,  cabbages, 
and  other   vegetables  were  of  extraordinary  size. 
The  Indians  durst  not  eat  them.     During  our 
stay,  they  invited  us  to  a  feast  where  there  were 
more  than  a  hundred  and  twenty  men  all  naked. 
The  first  chief,*  a  relative  of  the  one  whose  body 
I  had  covered  with  a  blanket,  brought  me  a  bark 
dish   of  food   which   he  put  on  a  buffalo-robe, 
dressed,  whitened,  and  trimmed  with  porcupine 
quills  on   one  side,   and   the   curly  wool  on  the 
other.     He  afterward  put  it  on  my  head,  saying  : 
"  He  whose  body  thou  didst  cover,  covers  thine ; 
he  has  borne  tidings  of  thee  to  the  land  of  souls. 
Noble  was  thy  act  in  his  regard  ;  all  the  nation 
praises    thee  for  it."     He  then    reproached  the 
Sieur  du  Luth,  for   not  having   covered  the  de- 
ceased's   body,  as    I    did.     He    replied    that  he 
covered  only  those  of  captains  like  himself;  but 
the  Indian  answered,  "  Pere  Louis  is  a  greater 
captain  than  you  for  his  robe  (meaning  our  bro- 
cade chasuble),  which  we  have  sent  to  our  allies, 

*  Ouasiconde  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  4U. 


i    i 


^  ' 


'    1-1 


;%s-x«ra.'*n 


SRR 


f 


256 


A    DESCRIPTION 


ro- 
il 


■i 


i'l 


who  dwell  three  moons  from  this  country,  is 
more  beautiful  than  that  which  you  wear."'" 

Toward  the  end  of  September,  having  no  im- 
plements to  begin  an  establishment,  we  resolved 
to  tell  these  people,  that  for  their  benefit,  we 
would  have  to  return  to  the  French  settlements.f 
The  great  chief  of  the  Issati,  or  Nadouessiouz 
consented,  and  traced  in  pencil  on  a  paper  I  gave 
him,  the  route  we  were  to  take  for  four  hundred 
leagues  of  the  way.  With  this  chart,  we  set  out, 
eight  Frenchmen,  in  two  canoes,  and  descended 
the  rivers  St.  Francis  and  Colbert.  Two  of  our 
men  took  two  beaver-robes  at  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua,  which  these  Indians  had  hung 
in  sacrifice  on  the  trees  ^' 

We  stopped  near  Ouscousin  river  to  smok^ 
some  meat;  three  Indians  coming  from  the 
nations  we  had  left,  told  us  that  their  great  chief 

♦  The  Nouv.  Dec,  explains  that  this  means  three  months, 
and  reckons  15  leagues  a  day's  march. 

t  The  Nouv.  Dec,  details  the  deliberations,  pp.,  413-6. 

I  The  Nouv.  Dec,  pp.  417-20,  gives  details  as  to  a  quarrel 
about  these  robes  between  Du  L'hut  and  the  men.  Accault 
remained  in  the  Sioux  country.      La  Salle,  lettre  Aug.  22,  1682. 


if 


OF   LOUISIANA. 


257 


named  the  Pierced-pine,  having  heard  that  one  of 
the  chiefs  of  his  nation  wished  to  pursue  and  kill 
us,  had  entered  his  cahin  and  tomahawked  him, 
to  prevent  his  pernicious  design.  We  regaled 
these  three  Indians  with  meat,  of  which  we 
were  in  no  want  then. 

Two  days  after,  we  perceived  an  army  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  canoes,  filled  with  about  two 
hundred    and    fifty    warriors;  we    thought    that 
those    who   brought    the    preceding   news    were 
spies,    for    instead    of   descending    the    river    on 
leaving    us,   they   ascended    to   tell   their  people. 
The    chiefs    of  this  little    army    visited  us    and 
treated    us   very    kindly,  the  same   day    they  de- 
scended   the     river     aid     we     kept     down     to 
Ouscousin.*     We  found  that  river  as  wide  as  the 
Seignelay  with  a  strong  current.     After  sailing 
up  sixty  t  leagues,  we  came  to  a  portage  of  half 
a   league,    which    the    Nadonessiouz    chief  had 
marked   for   us ;   we  slept  there   to  leave   marks 

*  In  the  Nuuv.  Dec,  Father   Hennepin   saves  the  party  by 
hifi  calun'iet. 

t  Seventy.     Nouv.  D6c.,  p.  427. 


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A    DESCRIPTION 


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and  crosses  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees.*  The 
next  day  we  entered  a  river  which  winds  won- 
derfully, for  after  six  hour's  sailing,  we  found 
ourselves  opposite  the  place  where  we  had  em- 
barked. One  of  our  men  wishing  to  kill  a  swan 
on  the  wing,  capsized  his  canoe,  fortunately  he 
touched  bottom. 

We  passed  four  lakes,  two  of  them  pretty  large, 
on  the  banks  of  which  the  Miamis  formerly  lived* 
we  found  Maskoutens,  Kikapous,  andOutaougamy 
there,  who  plant  Indian  corn  for  their  subsistence. 
All  this  country  is  as  fine  as  that  of  the  Islinois. 

We  made  a  portage  at  a  rapid  called  the 
Cakalin,  and  after  about  four  hundred  leagues 
sail  from  our  leaving  the  country  of  the  Issati, 
and  Nadouessious,  we  arrived  safely  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  bay  of  the  Puans,  where  we  found 
Frenchmen  trading  with    the  Indians  f  contrary 

to  orders.     They  had  some  little  wine  in  a  pewter 

*  This   was   the  route   taken  by  Marquette.     The   Kakalin 

rapid  had  been  explored  by  Allouez,  and  mentioned  in  the  Rel. 

i669-'70. 

t  This  was  the  Jesuit  mission  at  Green  Bay.  Tidings  of 
Hennepin's  safe  arrival  there,  reached  La  Salle  through  the 
Outagamis  or  Foxes  in  March,  1681.  Margry  i,  p.  530. 
Hennepin  here  wrote  to  La  Salle.      Margry  ii,  p.  259. 


OF     LOUISIANA. 


259 


flagon,  which  enabled  me  to  say  mass  ;  I  had 
then  only  a  chalice  and  altar  stone ;  but  Provi- 
dence supplied  me  with  sacerdotal  vestments, 
for  some  Islinois  flying  tVom  the  tyranny  of  the 
Iroquois,  who  had  destroyed  a  part  of  their  nation, 
took  the  vestments  of  the  chapel  of  Father 
Zenobius  Membre,  Recollect,  who  was  with  the 
Islinois  in  their  flight.  These  savages  gave  me 
all,  except  the  chalice,  which  they  promised 
to  restore  in  a  few  days  for  a  present  of  tobacco. 

I  had  not  celebrated  holy  mass  for  over  nine 
months  for  want  of  wine;  I  had  still  some  altar 
breads.  We  remained  two  days  to  rest,  sing  the 
Te  Deum,  high  mass,  and  preach.  All  our 
Fienchmen  went  to  confession  and  communion, 
to  thank  God  for  having  preserved  us  ami  J  so 
many  wanderings  and  perils. 

One  of  our  Frenchmen  gave  a  gun  for  a  canoe 
larger  than  ours,  with  which,  after  sailing  a 
hundred  leagues  in  the  Bay  of  the  Puants,  we 
reached  Missilimakinac,  where  we  were  obliged 
to    winter.     To    employ    the    time    usefully,    I 

preached  every  holyday,  and   on    the  Sundays  of 


^mmsmmmmmmmmm 


i\ 


11 


^ 


260 


A    DESCRIPTION 


Advent  and  Lent.*  The  Outtaouctz  and  Hurons 
were  often  present,*}*  rather  from  curiosity  than 
from  any  inclination  to  live  according  to  our 
Christian  maxims.  These  last  Indians  said,  to 
us  speaking  of  our  discovery,  that  they  were  men, 
but  that  we  Frenchmen  were  spirits,  because, 
had  they  gone  so  far  as  we  had,  the  strange  nations 
would  have  killed  them,  while  we  went  fearlessly 
everywhere. 

During  this  winter,  we  took  whitefish  in  Lake 
Orleans,  in  twenty  or  twenty-two  fathoms  water. 
They  served  to  season  the  Indian  corn,  which 
was  our  usual  fare.  Forty-two  Frenchmen  who 
were  there  trading  with  these  Indians  all  begged 
me  to  give  them  the  cord  of  St.  Francis,  which  I 
readily  did,  making  an  exhortation  at  each 
ceremony. 

We    left     Missilimakinac    in    Easter    week, 

*  The  Nouv.  Decouv.,  p.  435,  tells  us  that  he  enjoyed,  dur- 
ing the  winter,  the  hospitality  of  Father  Picrson,  a  Jesuit  and  a 
fellow-townsmen  of  his  own. 

■j-  In  a  church  covered  with  flags  and  some  boards  which  the 
Canadians  had  built.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  434. 


'f      : 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


261 


1681,'^'  and  were  obliged  to  drag  our  provisions 
and  canoes  on  the  ice,  more  than  ten  leagues  on 
Lake  Orleans ;  having  advanced  far  enough  on 
this  fresh  water  sea,  and  the  ice  breaking,  we 
embarked  after  the  solemnity  of  Low  Sunday, 
which  we  celebrated,  having  some  little  wine 
which  a  Frenchman  had  fortunately  brought, 
and  which  served  us  very  usefully  the  rest  of  the 
voyage.  After  a  hundred  leagues  way  on  Lake 
Orleans,  we  passed  the  strait  for  thirty  leagues 
and  Lake  St.  Clare,  :)"  which  is  in  the  middle  and 
entered  Lake  Comty,  where  we  killed,  with  sword 
and  axe,  more  than  thirty  sturgeon  which  came 
U)  spawn  on  the  banks  of  the  lake.     On  the  way 

we  met   an  Outtaouact  chief  called  le  Talon,  six 

*  Du  L'luit  says  March  29,  1681,  see  Appendix  C.  His 
rescue  of  Hennepin  is  attested  by  Raft'eix's  Map,  where  that 
Jesuit  Father  says  :  Mr.  Du  Lude  who  first  was  among  the 
Sioux  or  Nridouesiou  in  1678,  and  who  was  near  the  source  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  who  then  came  to  rescue  F.  Louis,  who 
had  been  taken  prisoner  among  the  Sioux.  Harrisse,  Notes, 
p.  181,  208.  La  Salle's  letter  and  Margry's  Rel.  deny  any 
captivity. 

t  This  name  is  now  written  St.  Clair,  but  we  should  either 
retain  the  French  form  Claire,  or  take  the  English  Clare.  It 
received  its  name  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  the  Franciscan 
nuns,  from  the  fact  that  La  Salle  reached  it  on  her  day. 


■t 


•— — =SS!-S^^HHB»B 


262 


A    DESCRIPTION 


I 


persons  of  whose  family  had  died  of  starvation, 
not  having  found  a  good  fishery  or  hunting-ground. 
This  Indian  told  us  that  the  Iroquois  had  carried 
off  a  family  of  twelve  belonging  to  his  tribe,  and 
begged  us  to  deliver  them,  if  yet  alive. 

We  sailed  along  Lake  Conty,  and  after  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  *  leagues  we  passed  the  strait  of 
the  great  falls  of  Niagara,  and  Fort  Comty,  and 
entered  Lake  Frontenac.  We  proceeded  along 
the  southern  shore  some  thirty  leagues  from  Fort 
Comty,  to  the  great  Seneca  village  about  the 
Whitsuntide  holidays  in  the  year  1681.  We 
entered  the  Iroquois  council  and  asked  them,  why 
th^y  had  enslaved  twelve  of  our  Outtaouactz  allies, 
telling  them  that  those  whom  they  had  taken, 
were  children  of  the  governor  of  the  French,  as 
well  as  the  Iroquois,  and  that  by  this  violence, 
they  declared  war  on  the  French.  To  induce 
them  to  restore  our  allies,  we  gave  them  two 
belts  of  wampum. 

The  next  day  the  Iroquois  answered  us  by  two 

*  Nouv.    Dec,  p   443  has  140.      He  gives  an  extended  de- 
scription of  the  Fal.    ivhich  will  be  found  in  our  appendix. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


263 


Other  wampum  belts,  that  the  Outtaouactz  had 
been  carried  off  by  some  mad  young  warriors ; 
that  we  might  assure  the  governor  of  the  French, 
that  the  Iroquois  would  hearken  to  him  in  all 
things ;  that  they  wished  to  live  with  Onnontio 
like  real  children  with  their  father  (so  they  call 
all  the  governors  of  Canada^,  and  that  they  would 
restore  those  whom  they  had  taken. 

A  chief  named   Teganeot,  who  spoke  for  his 
whole  nation   in    all   the  councils,   made    me  a 
present  of  otter  and, beaver-skins,  to  the  value  of 
over  twenty-five  =i=  crowns.     I  took    it  with   one 
hand,  and    gave    it  with    the  other    to  his  son, 
telling  him  that  I  presented  it  to  him  to  buy  goods 
of  the  other  Frenchmen  ;   that  as  for  us,  Barefeet 
as     the    Iroquois     call     us,    we     would    receive 
neither  beaver  nor   furs,  that  I  would   assure  the 
Governor  of  the  French  of  their  good  will;   this 
Iroquois  chief  was  surprized  at  my  refusal  of  his 
present,  and  told  the  people  of  his  tribe  that  the 
other  French  did  not  act  so.     We  took  leave  of 
the   most   influential    men    and   proceeded    after 
*  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  461  has  30. 


264 


A  DESCRIPTION 


abcut  eighty  leagues  navigation  on  this  lake,  to 
Fort  Frontenac  where  the  dear  Recollect  Father 
Luke  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  me,  for  it 
had  been  currently  reported  for  two  years  that 
the  Indians  had  hung  me  with  our  cord  of  St. 
Francis,  All  the  settlers  French  and  Indian, 
whom  we  had  attracted  to  Fort  Frontenac,  gave 
me  an  extraordinary  welcome,  rejoicing  at  my 
return,  the  Indians  calling  me  Otkon,-f^  laying 
their  hand  on  their  mouth,  which  means  to  say 
"  Barefoot  is  a  Spirit,  to  have  made  so  long  a 
journey." 

At  the  mouth  of  Lake  Frontenac  the  current 
is  strong,  and  increases  in  velocity  as  you 
descend.  The  rapids  are  frightful.  In  two  days 
and  a  half  we  descended  this  river  St.  Lawrence, 
with  so  much  speed  that  we  reached  Montreal, 
which  is  sixty  leagues  from  the  said  fort,j"  where 
the  Count  de  Frontenac,  Governor  General  of  all 
New  France  then  was.  This  Governor  received 
me  as  well  as  a  man  of  his  probity  can  receive  a 

*  Atkon,  a  demon,  a  spirit.      Bruyas,  Racines,  p.  36. 
f  In  less  than  two  days.     Nouv.  Dec,  p.  470. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


265 


missionary,  as  he  believed  me  killed,  by  the  Indians, 
he  was  for  a  time  thunderstruck,  believing  it  to  be 
some  other  Religious.*  He  beheld  meextenuated, 
without  a  cloak,  in  a  habit  patched  with  bits  of 
buffalo  skin.     He  took  me  with  him  for  twelve 
days  to   recruit    me,   and  himself  gave   me   the 
meat  I  was  to  eat,  in  the  fear  he  experienced     ,at 
I  might  fall  sick,  by  eating  too  much  after  such 
long  fasts. 

I  made  him  an  exact  report  of  my  voyage,  and 
showed  him  the  advantages  to  result  from  our 
new  discovery.j- 

*  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  471,  says  Frontenac  mistook  Hennepin  for 
h.s  chaplain,  Father  Luke  Fiilatre,  or  a  Recollect  from  Virginia, 
"  where  we  have  English  Recollects." 

t  The  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  473,  says  he  concealed  his  voyage 
down  from  Frontenac  as  his  two  !  canoemen  did,  because  they 
would  have  been  punished  for  making  it  against  the  ordinance 
and  their  furs  would  have  been  seized.  It  states,  p.  474,  that 
du  L'hut  remained  among  the  Ottawas,  and  that  in  a  letter  to 
Frontenac,  the  date  of  which  is  not  given,  he  said  that  he  had 
been  unable  to  learn  any  tidings  of  Father  Hennepin,  his 
canoemen  or  their  voyage.  He  states  that  while  descending  to 
Quebec  with  Count  Frontenac,  he  met  Bishop  Laval  near  the 
river  leading  to  Fort  Champlain. 
21 


266 


A  DESCRIPTION 


I 


While  I  was  recruiting  at  Mr.  dc  Frontenac's 
table,  he  received  letters  from  Father  Zenobius 
Membre,  Recollect,  whom  I  had  left  in  the 
Illinois,  who  informed  him  that  the  progress  of 
our  discovery  was  interrupted  by  the  Iroquois, 
and  by  an  inexplicable  fatility  of  some  French- 
men who  had  abandoned  Fort  Crcvecoeur,  that 
the  commandant,  the  Sieur  de  Tonty,  had  left 
that  post  to  go  to  the  villages  of  the  Islinois  for 
Indian  corn,  and  that  during  his  absence,  all  the 
French  whom  he  had  left  at  that  fort  had  de- 
serted and  abandoned  the  Recollect  Father 
Gabriel,  who  remained  alone  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  Seignelay  till  an  Islinois,  who  was  returning 
from  the  hunt  took  the  good  old  man  to  his  village. 
The  Sieur  de  la  Salle  before  returning  to  Fort 
Frontenac  had  left  the  Miamis  perfectly  united 
with  the  Islinois,  but  the  Iroquois  who  are 
cunning  people,  men  of  war  and  of  deep  designs, 
gained  the  Miamis  by  presents,  which  was 
accomplished  just  about  the  time  that  the  French 
who  had  abandoned  us  at  the  Islinois,  had  taken 
refuge  among  the  Miamis;  the  next  Autumn  * 
♦  Sept.  12,  1680,  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  479. 


OF    LOUISIANA. 


267 


the  Iroquois  with  about  eight  hundred  men  armed 
with  guns  joined  the  Miamis  and  tell  upon  the 
Islinois  who  had  only  bows  and  arrows  to  defend 
themselves.  The  noise  of  the  Iroquois  guns  so 
alarmed  them,  that  these  men  who  are  great 
runners,  took  flight  towards  the  river  Colbert ; 
in  this  confusion,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the 
Iroquois,  joined  to  the  Miamis,  to  carry  off 
about  eight  hundred  slaves,  including  women  and 
young  boys.  These  cannibals  ate  on  the  spot  some 
old  Islinois  men,'  and  burned  several  others,  who 
were  not  strong  enough  to  follow  them  to  the 
country  of  the  Iroquois,  a  journey  of  more  than 
rour  hundred  leagues. 

A  little  before  the  great  onset  of  these  savage^ 
some  young   Iroquois   warriors,  seeing  the  Sieur 
de  Tonty,  v/ho  had  remained  among  the  Islinois, 
with  Fathers   Gabriel  and  Zenobius,   Recollects, 
and   two  other  young  PVenchmen,   rushed  upon 


upor 


um, 


taki 


m 


iim 


for 


an  enem^ 


They  g 


ave  hnn 


a  stab  with  a  knife,  the  point  fortunately  meet- 
ing a  rib ;  but  the  older  Iroquois  recognizing 
him  as  a  Frenchman,  separated  them,  and  seeing 


J 

i 


■>ka»«wah..;£^ 


268 


A  DESCRIPTION 


' 


him  slightly  wounded,  made  him  a  present  of  a 
wampum  belt,  in  the  Indian  fashion,  to  heal  his 
wound,  and  wipe  away  his  tears,  assuring  the  two 
Recolleccs  that  they  did  not  wish  to  kill  the 
children  of  Onnontio,  that  is,  the  Governor  of 
the  French  ;  they  asked  from  them  a  p-pcr,  in 
order  to  testify  on  their  return  to  the  whole 
French  nation,  the  sincerity  of  their  intention. 
They  made  the  French  embark  to  return  to 
Canada,  The  Reverend  Father  Gabriel,  Recol- 
lect, seeing  the  canoe  loaded  wrln  beaver,  threw 
several  to  the  Iroquois,  giving  them  to  understand, 
that  he  was  not  there  to  amass  furt  ;  their  canoe 
breaking,  the  French  were  forced  to  land  about 
eight  leagues  from  the  Islinois  and  light  a  fire  in 
order  to  repair  it.  Father  Gabriel  retired  a  little 
way  into  the  prairie  to  say  his  breviary,  A  panic 
having  seized  the  Sieur  de  Tonty,  who  thought 
he  had  the  Iroquois  at  his  heels,  he  made  Father 
Zenobius  and  the  two  young  Frenchmen  embark 
with  such  precipitation,  that  he  crossed  from  one 
bank  of  the  Seignelay  river  to  the  other,  which  is 
wide  at  this  point,  and  left  that  good  old  man  on 


if 


4 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


269 


the  other  bank,  doing  nothing  but  fire  a  gun 
about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  as  a  signal, 
but  in  vain.  Father  Zenobius  wrote  to  the 
Reverend  Father  Valentine  le  Roux,  Commissary 
Provincial  of  the  Recollects  in  Canada,  that  he 
had  implored  the  -^ieur  de  Tonty  not  to  embark 
without  Father  Gabriel,  and  that  he  had  replied, 
that  if  he  did  not  embark  who  would  answer  for 
him  to  the  Governor  of  the  country.  Father 
Zenobius  not  having  vigor  enough  or  words 
sufficiently  strong  to  persuade  the  Sieur  de  Tonty 
to  wait  a  little,  he  was  forced  to  follow  him, 
although  they  perceived  no  enemies.  The  next 
day  they  crossed  the  river  to  the  spot  where  they 
had  left  him,  they  saw  foot  prints  in  the  grass  of 
those  beautiful  plains,  and  not  finding  that  good 
old  man  who  undoubtedly  was  looking  for  them, 
the  Sieur  de  Tonty  took  up  his  route  for  Canada 
by  way  of  the  Bay  of  the  Puants. 

We  have  subsequentl)  learned  by  investigations 
made  by  order  of  the  Count  de  Fronteimc,  Gov- 
ernor of  Canada,  that  the  Onnontaguez  Iroquois  * 

■^  The  Nouv.  Dec  ,  p.  494-5,  and  La  Salle,  Margry  ii,  p. 
124,  makes  F.  Gabriel  killed  by  a  band  of  Kickapoos.  In  the 
proceedings  against  the  deserters,  Margry  ii,  p.  103,  Petit  Bleo 
and  Boisdardenne  were  accused  of  deserting  F.  Gabrie  . 


X'mi^'lLtliUiKlU  »'.-!J.Hj.J|III|.  ■  IL— 


r 

ji) 


■  ^ji»  i^ipCiSPvff 


i{ 


fl    I: 


a' I.' 


'ill 


f 


f!    I) 


i;i  ■ 


}i: 


270 


A    DESCRIPTION 


seeing  the  French  canoe  abandon   this  old  man, 

hid   in   the    grass,   fearing  the    guns   which    the 

French    might  have  disch  rged   at  them,   and  as 

the  canoe  moved  away,  they  advanced  stealthily 

and   tomahawked   that    man  of  (lod,   whom  we 

can  style  the  Apostle  of  Louisiana. 

Our  Recollect  Fathers  informed  me  last  year 

from    New  France,   that  the   Islinois  after   their 

defeat,   pursued  in  Lireat   haste  after   the  Iroquois 

who   were  all   returning  home    triumphant,   and 

that  they  found  the  body  of  Father  Ciabriel  with 

his  habit,  that  they  carried  him  to  their  villages 

and  buried  him  in  their  manner,  doing  honor  to 

him  who  had   gone  among   them  to  preach   the 

faith  to  them,  and  for  their  consolation.     Others 

have  wished  to  assure  us  that  the  Kikapous  had 

killed    him    and  carried   off  his  habit   of  Saint 

Francis  to  the   village   of  the    Miamis ;  but   the 

Count  de  Frontenac  will  give   us   all  authentic 

information  on  his  return. 

Notwithstanding  *  all  to  traverse  our  plans,  we 

*  From  furt  Champlaiii,  he  went  down  to  Quebec  in  a 
gayly  painted  canoe  belonging  to  Count  Frontenac,  paddled  by 
two  of  his  guards.  He  proceeded  at  once  to  the  Recollect 
convent  to  confer  with  F.  Valentine  le  Roux,  his  Commissary 
Provincial.  Nouv.  Dec,  p.  501.  He  charges  this  Father 
with  copying  his  voyage  down  the  Mississippi  (p.  505). 


OF  LOUISIANA. 


271 


i 


have  been   more  than  eight  hundred   leagues  be- 
yond  the  capital  of  New    France,  where   I  was 
for  nearly  eight  months  a  slave  among  the  Issati, 
and  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  has  succeeded  in  build- 
ing three    barks,  the    last    two    of  which    one- 
of  about  fifty  tons  and  the  other  of  eighty,  are  dis- 
tant from  one  another  nearly  five  hundred  lea- 
gues,—  in  advancing  in  canoes  beyond  the  three 
great  lakes   which  are  fresh    water  seas,   and   in 
pursuing  his  enterprise  with  Fathers  Luke  Brisset, 
Zenobiiis   Membre,    Recollects,   and  about   fifty 
men. 

They  wrote   me  this   year  (1682),  from    New 
France,    that   the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  seeing    that  I 
had  made   peace  with   the  nations   on    the  north 
and  northwest,  situated  more  than  five  hundred 
leagues  up  the  river  Colbert,  who  were  making 
war  on  the    Islinois,   and  on    the   nations  of  the 
south,  this  brave  captain,  governor  of  Fort  Fron- 
tenac,    who   exalts   by  his   zeal   and   courage  the 
names  of  the  Caveliers  his  ancestors,  descended 
last  year  with  his  force  and  our  Recollects,  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  the  great   river  Colbert,  and   to 


^„ .  L-  ■  *■  i'j  W!  Mym  mm  \iKmmmma 


272 


A   DESCRIPTION 


i 


the  sea,  and  that  he  passed  among  unknown 
nations,  some  of  which  are  somewhat  civilized. 
It  is  believed  that  he  is  on  his  way  to  France  to 
give  the  Court  an  ample  knowledge  of  all  Louis- 
iana which  we  may  call  the  Delight  and  Karthly 
Paradise  of  America. 

The  King  may  form  there  an  empire  which 
will  soon  become  nourishing,  without  any  foreign 
power  being  able  to  prevent  him,  and  his  Majesty 
by  the  Religious  Ministry  of  Saint  Francis  may 
easily  extend  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  among 
those  many  nations,  which  have  hitherto  been 
deprived  of  the  advantages  of  Christianity,  and 
the  French  colonies  may  thence  derive  great 
benefits  in  future. 

END 


THE    MANNERS    OF     THE    INDIANS.* 


On  the  Fertility  of  the  Indian  Country. 

Before  entering  here  into  details  as  to  the 
manners  of  the  Indians,  it  is  well  to  say  a  word 
as  to  the  fertility  of  their  country  ;  it  can 
thus  be  judged  how  easy  it  is  to  found  great 
colonies  there.  Thr-e  are  indeed  many  forests 
to  clear,  hut  these  uncultivated  parts  are  none  the 
less  advantageous.  Thcie  are  scarcely  any  in 
the  world  more  fertile  Nothing  is  -vanting 
that  is  necessary  for  life  ;  every  thing  is  in  abun- 
dance, the  lands  there  are  very  well  adapted  for 
sowing.  In  the  vast  countries  of  Louisiana,  beau- 
tiful prairies  are  discovered  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
see,  and  to  enter  a  little  into  detail  as  to  things 
which  grow  among  the  Indians,  there  arc  many 
grape  vines,  very  much  like  those  we  have  in 
Europe,  which  bear  grapes,  somewhat  sour,  but 

*  This  part  of  the  Description  is  not  reprinted  in  the  Nou- 
velle  Decouverte^  but  appears  considerably  enlarged  in  the 
Nouveau  Voyage^  Utrecht  1698  ;  reprinted  in  the  Voyages  au 
Nord^  vol.   5. 


8il 


q:hi 


h  {■ 


^'1 


274 


THE    MANNERS 


ri 


the  wine  goes  very  well  with  ours,  it  even  pre- 
vents it   from   spoiling.      In    Louisiana    and  the 
southern  country,  the  grape  is  as  good  as  in  France 
but  the  seeds  are  larger.      In  both  parts  are  found 
hops,  plums,  cherries,  cifons,  apples,  pears,  nuts, 
filberts,  gooseberries  of  all  kinds  and  a  thousand 
other  fruits  of  that  nature  delicious  in  taste.     In 
both    parts    grow    Indian    corn,    French    wheat, 
turnips,    very   fine    melons,    enormous    squashes, 
cabbages  and  a  host  of  other  vegetables,  of  which 
I  do   not  here  recall  the  names.     In  the  forests 
there  are    great  numbers   of  wolves,  monstrous 
bears,  deer,   stags,  and   all   kinds  of  animals   of 
which  I  do  not  know  the  names,  among  others 
wild  cats,  beavers,  otters,  porcupines,  turkeys,  and 
all  these  animals  are  of  extraordinary  size  there. 
They  catch  there  sturgeon,  salmon,  salmon  trout, 
pike,    carp,     eels,    armed    fish,    gold    fish,    bass, 
catfish,  and  all   kinds  of  other  fish.^^-     There  is 
plenty  of  exercise  too  for  our  French  sportsmen. 
There  you  can  kill  patridges,  ducks  of  all  kinds, 
wild  pigeons,  cranes,  herons,  swans,  wild  geese, 
*  Nouv.  Voyage.     (Voy.  on  Nord.,  v,  p.  348.) 


1 1 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


275 


and  other  game  in  abundance.  In  Louisiana, 
besides  all  these  animals,  there  are  also  wild 
cattle  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  have 
never  been  able  to  exterminate  entirely,  on 
account  of  the  great  number  of  these  animals 
which  change  their  country  according  to  the 
season.  Several  medicinal  herbs  are  found  there 
which  arc  not  in  Europe,  .vhich  have  an  infallible 
effect,  according  to  the  experience  of  the  Indians' 
who  use  them  daily  to  heal  all  kinds  of  wounds, 
for  quartain  and  tertian  fevers,  to  purge  and  to 
allay  pains  in  the  kidneys  and  other  like  troubles. 
There  are  also  many  poisons  which  these  people 
employ  for  self  destruction.  Snakes  are  common, 
particularly  the  adders,  asps  and  another  kind  of 
serpent,  which  has  a  kind  of  rattles  on  its  tail, 
and  is  called  on  that  account  rattlesnake.  They 
are  of  prodigious  length  and  bulk.  They  bite 
passers-by  dangerously ;  but  wherever  they  are, 
there  are  found  also  sovereign  remedies  against 
their  bites.  Frogs  are  seen  there  too  of  strange 
size,  whose  bellowing  is  as  loud  as  the  lowing  of 
cows.     The   same   trees    are    found    here    as    in 


r 


276 


THE    MANNERS 


1 


I  > 


Europe,  and  there  are  others  also  namely  red 
pine,  red  cedar,  spruce,  cotton  wood,  sh, 
boisdiei  and  others.  All  these  trees  strike  1  oot 
deeply  and  become  extremely  high,  which 
sufficiently  attests  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The 
great  river  St.  Lawrence  ■•■  of  which  I  have  already 
given  a  description  in  the  Relation  of  Louisiana, 
runs  through  the  middle  of  the  Iroquois  country 
and  there  forms  a  large  lake  which  the  Indians 
call  Ontario,  and  the  French  Frontenac,  in 
memory  of  the  Count  de  Frontenac,  Governor 
of  all  New  France.  The  river  St.  Lawrence 
has  on  the  north  side  a  branch  which  comes  from 
a  nation  who  ?.re  called  Nez-persez  or  Oniaonatz.f 
On  the  north-east  is  the  country  of  the  Algon- 
quains,  which  the  French  occupy.  On  the  east 
the  nation  of  the  Wolf  J  and  New  Netherland  or 
Jortz.  On  the  south  New  England  or  Baton. 
On  the  southwest  Virginia,  which  is  called  New 
Sweden.     On  the  west  the  country  of  the  Hurons, 

*  Nouveau  Voyage  (Voyages  au  Nord,  v.,  p.  349.' 

t  Misprint  for  Outaouatz,  Ottawas. 

I  Mohegans. 


\\ 


K 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


277 


which  is  now  almost  entirely  abandoned,  and 
which  has  been  destroyed  by  the  Iroquois.  The 
Hrst  post  which  we  have  there  is  Fort  Frontenac. 

Origin  of  the  Indians. 

I  am  no  longer  surprised  at  the  avowal  of  our 
historians,  that  they  can  not  tell  how  the  Indian 
country  has  been  populated,  since  the  inhabitants 
who    ought    to    be    the    best    informed,    know 
nothing  about  it  themselves.     Besides   which,  if 
in  Europe,  we  were  like  them  deprived  of  writ- 
ing, and  if  we  had  not  the  use  of  that  ingenious 
art,   which   brings   the   dead    back   to   life,   and 
recalls  past  times  and   which  preserves   for  us  an 
eternal  memory  of  all  things,  we  should  not   be 
less  ignorant  than  they.     It  is  true  that  they  re- 
count some  things  about  their  origin ;  but  when 
you  ask  whether  what  they  say  about  it  is  true, 
they  answer   that   they  know  nothing   about  it, 
that  they  would  not  assure  us  of  it,  and  that  they 
believe  them  to   be  stories  of  their  old  men,  to 
which   they   do    not  give   much  credit,      (f  all 
North  America  had  been  discovered,  we  might 


/■    ■ 


/>■' 


r 


'.78 


THE   MANNERS 


perhaps  learn  the  spot  where  these  persons  came 
over  to  it,  which  would  contribute  not  a  little  to 
throw  light  on  some  points  of  ancient  history. 
A  rather  curious  story  is  related  among  them. 
They  say  that  a  woman   descended    from  heaven 

and  remained  sometime  Huttering  in  the  air,  un- 
able to  find  a  spot  to  rest  her  foot.  The  fish  of 
the  sea  having  taken  compassion  on  her,  held  a 
council  to  deliberate  which  of  them  should  re- 
ceive her ;  the  Tortoise  presented  himself  and 
offered  his  back  above  the  water.  This  woman 
came  there  to  rest  and  made  her  abode  there. 
The  unclean  matter  of  the  sea  having  gathered 
around  this  tortoise,  a  great  extent  of  land  was 
formed  in  time,  which  now  corstitutes  America. 
But  as  solitude  did  not  at  all  please  this  woman, 
who  grew  weary  of  having  no  one  to  converse  with, 
in  order  to  spend  her  days  a  little  more  agreeably 
than  she  was  doing,  a  spirit  descended  from  on 
high,  who  found  her  asleep  from  sorrow.  He 
approached  her  imperceptibly,  and  begot  by  her 
two  sons,  who  came  out  of  her  side.  These  two 
children   could   never,  as   time  went   on,   agree. 


OF     THE   INDIANS. 


279 


because  one  was  a  better  hunter  than  the  other, 
every  day  they  had  some  quarrel  with  each  other, 
and   they  came   to  such  a  pitch   that  they  could 
not  at  all    bear  one  another  ;  especially  one  who 
was  of  an   extremely  fierce  temper,  conceived  a 
deadly  envy  or  his  brother,  whose  disposition  was 
completely  mild.     This  one  unable  to  endure  the 
ill  treatment  which  he  continually  received,  was 
at  last  obliged  to  depart  from  him  and  retire  to 
heaven,  whence  as  a  mark  of  his  just  resentment, 
he  from   time  to   rime   makes  the  thunder  roar 
over   the  head  of  his   unhappy  brother.     Some- 
time   after    the  spirit    descended    again    to    this 
woman  and  had  by  her  a  daughter,  from    whom 
have  come  the  mighty  nation  which  now  occupies 
one  of  the  largest  parts  of  the  world.     There  are 
some  other   circumstances,   which    I  do   not   re- 
member,   but  fabulous  as  this   story  is,  you   can 
not    fail    to    discern    in    it    some    truths.      The 
woman's   sleep   has   some  analogy  with    that   of 
Adam  ;   the    estrangement  of  the    two  brothers 
bears   some    resemblance    to    the    irreconcili?,ble 
hatred  which  Cain  had  for  Abel,  and  the  thunder 


Rr  ' 


280 


THE    MANNERS 


U 

';■'{ 
h 


pealing  from  heaven,  shows  us  very  clearly  the 
curse  which  God  pronounced  upon  that  merci- 
less fratricide.*     One  might  even  doubt  whether 
they  are  not  of  Jewish  origin,  because  they  have 
many    things    in    common    with    them.      They 
make  their  cabins  in  the  form  of  a  tent  like  the 
Jews.     They  anoint   themselves   with   oil,  they 
are  superstitiously  attached  to   dreams,  they  be- 
wail  the  dead    with   lamentations    and  horrible 
bowlings,  women  wear   mourning  for  their  near 
relatives  for  a  whole  year,  abstain  from  dances 
and   feasts,  and  wear   a  kind  of  hood   on   their 
head.     Usually  the  father  of  the  deceased  takes 
care  of  the  widow.     It  seems  too  that  the  curse 
of  God  has  fallen  on   them,  as  on  the  Jews,  for 
they  are  brutal  and  extremely  stubborn.     They 
have  no  fixed  and  settled  abode.f 

Physical  Condition  of  the  Indians. 

The  Indians    are   very   robust,    men,   women 
and   even   children   are   extremely  vigorous ;  for 

*  Nouv.  Voyage.     Voy.  au  Nord.,  v.,  p.  264-6. 
t  Voyages  au  Nord.  v.,  p.  268. 


m 


'>■,"»■, 


my 


OF  THF.   INDIANS. 


281 


this    reason    they    are    rarely    sick,    they    know 
nothing    about     treating    themselves    dclica;„ly, 
hence  they  are  not  subject  to  a  thousand  ailments 
which  too  great   effeminacy  draws  down   on   us. 
They  are  not  gouty  or  dropsical,  gravel  or  fever- 
vexed,   they  are   always   in  movement,    and  take 
so  little  rest,  that   they  escape   maladies    which 
beset  most  of  our  Europeans  for  want  of  exercise  ; 
appetite  scarcely  ever  fails  them,  even  when  they 
are  far  advanced  in  years  ;  they  are  as  a  rule  so 
given  to  eating,  that  they  rise  in  the  night  to  eat, 
unless  they  have  meat  or  sangamity    near  them, 
for  then   they  eat   like  dugs  without  getting  up. 
Yet  on  the  other  hand  they  undergo  great  absti- 
nences, which  would  beyond  doubt  be  unsupport- 
able  to  us.     They  go  two  or  three  days  without 
eating,  when  such  an  occasion  btfals  them,  with- 
out on   that   account  discontinuing   their  work, 
whether  they  are  engaged  in  hunting,  fishing  or 
war.     Their  children  are  so  inured  to  cold,  that  in 
mid  winter  they  run  bare  naked  on  the  snow,  and 
roll  in   it  like  little  pigs,   without  being  in  any 
22 


282 


THE    MANNERS 


way  injured,  and  in  summer  when  the  air  is  full 
of  musquitoes,  they  also  go  naked,  and  play 
without  feeling  the  stings  of  these  little  insects. 
I  admit  that  the  fresh  air  to  which  they  are  con- 
stantly exposed  contr^u  '  omewhat  to  harden 
their  skin  to  fatigue,  <is  great  insensibility 

must  also  come  from  an  extremely  robust  con- 
stitution, in  as  much  as  our  hands  and  face  are 
always  exposed  to  the  air,  without  being  for  all 
that  less  sensitive  to  cold.  When  men  are  hunt- 
ing especially  in  the  spring  time,  they  are  almost 
always  in  water,  although  it  is  very  cold,  and 
they  return  from  it  cheerfully  to  their  cabins 
without  complaining.  When  they  go  to  v  ir, 
they  sometimes  remain  three  or  four  days  behind 
a  tree,  eating  almost  nothing.  They  are  un- 
wearied in  their  hunts ;  they  run  very  fast  and 
for  a  very  long  time.  The  nations  of  Louisiana 
run  faster  than  the  Iroquois,  so  that  there  is  not 
a  buffalo  that  they  cannot  run  down.  They  sleep 
on  the  snow  in  a  scanty  blanket,  without  a  fire 
and  without  cabin.  The  women  act  as  porters, 
and  have  so  much  vigor,  that  there  are  few  men 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


283 


in  Europe  who  have  as  much  as  they.  They 
carry  burthens  that  two  of  three  of  us  would  find 
it  difficult  to  raise.  The  warriors  undertake 
journeys  of  three  or  four  hundred  leagues,  as 
though  it  was  only  to  go  from  Paris  to  Orleans. 
The  women  bear  children  without  great  pain, 
some  of  them  leave  the  cabin  and  withdraw  into 
the  wood  apart,  and  afterwards  return  with  their 
children  in  their  blanket.  Others  if  labor  comes 
on  in  the  night,  bring  forth  the  children  on  their 
mats,  without  tnaking  the  least  noise,  and  in  the 
morning  rise  and  work  as  usual,  inside  and  out- 
side the  cabin,  as  if  nothing  ailed  them.  Remark 
also  that  while  they  are  pregnant,  they  do  not 
cease  to  be  active,  to  carry  very  heavy  loads,  to 
plant  Indian  corn,  and  squashes,  to  go  and  come, 
and  what  is  a  wonder,  their  children  are  very 
well  formed,  humpbacks  are  very  rare  among 
them.  To  conclude,  they  have  no  natural  bodily 
defects,  which  leads  us  to  believe  that  their  mind 
would  easily  adapt  itself  to  this  external  disposi- 
tion, if  they  were  civilized  and  had  much  inter- 
course with  the  French.* 

*  Nouveau  Voyage,  (Voy.  au  Nord.  v.  pp.  295-7.) 


284 


THE   K.ANNERS 


I 


Remedies  against  Diseases. 

When  they  are  weary  they  enter  a  vapor  bath 
to  strengthen  their  limbs,  and  if  their  legs  or 
arms  pain,  they  take  a  well  sharpened  knife  and 
make  incisions  in  the  part  where  the  pain  is. 
When  the  blood  flows  they  scrape  it  with  their 
knives  or  a  stick  till  it  ceases  to  flow.  Then 
they  cleanse  the  wound  and  rub  it  with  oil  or 
the  fat  of  some  animals.  This  is  a  sovereign 
remedy.  They  do  the  same  when  they  have  a 
pain  in  the  head  or  arms.  To  cure  tertian  and 
quartan  fevers,  they  make  a  medecine  with  a  bark 
which  they  boil  and  give  to  drink  immediately 
after  the  fever.  They  know  roots  and  herbs 
with  which  they  cure  all  kinds  of  diseases.  They 
have  sure  remedies  against  the  poison  of  toads, 
snakes  and  other  animals,  but  have  none  against 
the  small  pox.  There  are  charlatans  whom  they 
call  jugglers.  These  are  certain  old  men  who 
live  at  other  people's  expense,  by  counterfeiting 
physicians  in  a  superstitious  manner.  They  do 
not   use    remedies,   but    when    one    of  them    is 


OF  THE    INDIANS.  285 

called   to  a  sick   man,   he   makes  them   entreat 
him,  as  if  it  were  for  some  affair  of  great  impor- 
tance and  very  difficult.     After  many  solicitations 
he   comes,   he   approaches   the    patient,   touches 
him   all   over  the   body,  and  after  he   has   well 
considered  and  handled  him.  he  tells  him    that 
he  has  a  spell  in  such  or  such  a  part,  for  example, 
in  the  head,   leg  or  stomach,  which  must  be  re- 
moved, but  that  this  can  be  done  only  with  great 
difficulty,  and   many  things   must  be  done  pre- 
viously.    This 'spell  is  very  malicious,  he  says; 
but   it  must  be  made  to  come  out  at  any  cost. 
All  the  sick  man's  friends  who  fall  into  the  trap, 
say  "  T.  Chagon,  T.  Chagon,  courage,*  courage ; " 
"do  what  you  can,  spare  nothing."    The  juggler 
sits  down,  deliberates  for  a  time  on  the  remedies 
which  he  wishes  to  employ,  then  rises  as  if  com- 
ing out  of  a  deep  sleep,  and  cries  out.     "See  the 
thing  is  done  !     Listen,  such  a  one,  your  wife  or 

*  Tsiagcn  !  good  courage,  Bruyas,  Mohawk  Diet.  ms. 
Tchiguen,  Courage,  Onondaga  Diet.  p.  36.  The  Indian 
words  cited  in  these  remarks  are  Mohawk,  the  language  of 
which  Hennepin  acquired  some  knowledge  at  Fort  Frontcnac, 
aided  by  Bruyas'  works. 


m 


^ma^^^m 


286 


THE   MANNERS 


child's   life  is   at  stake,   so  spare   nothing,    you 
must  give  a  feast,  to  day,"  "give  such  or  such  a 
thing,"  or  do  something  else  of  the  kind.    At  the 
same  time   that  these  orders  of  this  juggler  are 
carried   out,   the  men  enter   the  vapor  bath  and 
sing  at  the  top  of  their  voice,  rattling   tortoise 
shells  or  gourds  full  of  Indian  corn,  to  the  sound 
of  which   the  men  and   women   dance.     Some- 
times even  they  all  get  intoxicated,  so   that  they 
make  frightful  orgies.     While   all  are  thus  en- 
gaged,  this   superstitious    old   man   is    near    the 
patient,  whom  he   torments,  holding   his  feet  or 
legs,  or  pressing  his  chest,  according  to  the  spot 
where  he  has  said  the  spell  is,  in  such  a  way  that 
he  makes  him   undergo  pain    sufficient   to  kill 
him.     He  often  makes  the  blood  issue  from  the 
tips  of  his  fingers  or  toes.     At  last  after  making 
a  hundred  grimaces,  he  displays  a  piece  of  skin 
or  a  lock  of  hair  or  something  of  the  kind,  mak- 
ing them  believe  it  to  be  the  spell  which  he   has 
drawn  from  the  patient's  body,  which  is  however, 
only  a  pure  trick. 

I  one  day  baptized  a  little  child  which  seemed 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


287 


to  be  in   danger  of  death,   but   the   next  day,  it 
was  cured.     Some  days  after  its  mother  related 
to  the  others,  in  my  presence,  how  I  had   cured 
her  child.     She  took  me  for  a  juggler,   saying 
that  I  was  wonderful,  that  I  knew  how  to  cure 
all  sorts  of  diseases  by  putting  water  op  the  fore- 
head.    They  often    have  recourse  to  our   mede- 
cines,    because   they   find  them    very  good,   but 
when  we  do  not  succeed,  they  ascribe  the  cause 
to  the  medecine  and  not  to  the  wretched  state  of 
the  patient.* 


The  Dress  of  the  Indians. 

The  Northern  Indian:,  from  the  statement  of 

their   old  men,  have   alwayr  been    covered,  and 

before   they  had   ever  had  an/  intercourse  with 

Europeans,  for  they  dressed  in  skins,  both   men 

and  women.    They  now  still   tover  themselves 

sometimes  with  skins,   but  most   generally  they 

wear  a  shirt,  a  coat  with  a  hood,  ip  of  cloth 

*Nouveau  Voyage,  (V.  au  Nord  v.  ,pp.  *     -4). 


m 


iMiiiMifii 


a«n 


T 


288 


.  THE    MANNERS 


which  covers  them  to  the  knees,  and  which  is 
tied  before  and  behind  with  a  little  belt,  then 
they  have  footless  stockings,  which  our  French 
generally  call  leggins,  and  shoes  which  are  merely 
of  dressed  skins.  When  they  come  in  from  their 
hunts  in  the  Spring  there  are  some  who  buy 
French  body  coats,  shoes  and  stockings  ;  some 
wear  hats  out  of  the  respect  they  have  for  the 
French.  Sometimes  they  carry  blankets  in  which 
they  wrap  themselves,  holding  the  ends  in  their 
hands.  When  they  are  in  their  cabins,  they 
very  frequently  remain  stark  naked,  even  in 
winter  time,  except  a  single  band  of  cloth  with 
which  they  are  girt.  They  daub  their  faces 
with  red  and  black  colors,  they  redden  their 
hair  which  they  cut  in  every  fashion.  The 
southern  nations  do  not  burn  them  except  to  the 
ears,  and  those  of  the  North  often  let  them  hang 
down  on  one  side,  and  cut  them  on  the  other 
according  to  their  fancy.  Sometimes  they  stick 
little  feathers  all  over  the  head,  and  sometimes 
large  ones  behind  the  ears.  There  are  some 
who  make  themselves  crowns  of  flowers ;  others 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


289 


of  birch  bark,  some  ofskins,  very  prettily  worked. 

The  women  are  dressed  like  the  men  except  a 
band  of  cloth,  wrapped  around  like  a  petticoat, 
which  they  fasten  to  their  girdle  and  which  does 
not  hang  down  below  the  knees.  When  they 
go  to  entertainments  to  dance,  they  take  their 
fineries,  and  paint  their  temples  and  cheeks  and 
the  tip  of  the  chin. 

Young  boys  go  naked  till  they  are  capable  of 
marriage,  and  when  they  cover  themselves,  if 
they  have  no  shii-t,  they  always  show  what  natu- 
does  not  permit  to  uncover.  Little  girls  at  the 
age  of  four  or  five  years,  begin  to  gird  a  piece  of 
cloth  around  them.  When  we  went  into  their 
cabins  to  instruct  them,  we  obliged  them  to  cover 
themselves,  which  produces  a  good  effect,  because 
they  now  feel  a  little  ashamed  of  their  nakedness, 
and  cover  their  persons  a  little  more  frequently 
than  they  did  before. 

Men  and  women,  especially  the  young  ones, 
wear  on  the  neck  beads  and  sea  shells  of  all  kinds 
of  shapes.  They  have  also  some  of  these  shells, 
as  long  as  the  finger,  made  in  the  form  of  a  little 


290 


THE    MANNERS 


tube,  which  are  used  as  earrings.  They  have 
also  belts,  some  made  of  beads,  others  of  porcu- 
pine hair,  some  of  bear's  hair,  others  of  both 
interwoven.  The  most  important  men  among 
them  wear  on  the  back  a  small  bag  in  which 
they  carry  their  pipe,  tobacco,  steel  and  flint  and 
other  trifles. 

They  are  skilful  in  making  a  kind  of  cloak 
with  dressed  skins  of  the  bear,  beaver,  otter, 
squirrel,  wolf,  lion,  and  other  animals,  in  which 
to  appear  in  their  assemblies.* 


B. 


h  ■ 


''■i 


Marriages  of  the  Indians. 

The  marriage  of  the  Indians  is  not  a  civil 
contract  because  they  have  no  intention  of  bind- 
ing themselves,  but  they  cohabit,  till  they  disagree 
with  one  another.  Girls  are  married  at  the  age 
of  nine  or  ten  years,  not  for  marriage,  because 
they  know  well  that  they  are  incapable,  but 
because  the  parents  of  this  girl  expect  some  profit 
from  their  son  in  law.  In  fact  when  he  comes 
*  Nouv.  Voyage,  (Voy.  au.  Nord  v.  pp.  297-9). 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


291 


in  from  the  hunt,  the  girl's  father  has  the  disposal 
of  the  furs  and  the  meat,  but  on  the  other  hand 
the  girl  carries  the  sagamity  or  porridge  made  of 
Indian  corn,  for  all  her  husband's  meals,  ?lthough 
she  does  not  live  witn  him.  Some  act  thus  five 
or  six  years.  On  the  day  when  they  marry, 
they  give  feasts  with  pomp  and  rejoicing.  Some- 
times the  whole  village  goes  there,  and  every  one 
makes  good  cheer.  After  the  meal  they  sing 
and  dance.  Very  frequently  they  marry  without 
any  noise,  and  for  this  only  a  word  is  needed,  for 
the  Indian  who  has  no  wife  goes  in  search  of  a 
woman  who  has  no  husband,  and  says  to  her : ' 
"  Will  you  come  with  me.  You  shall  be  my 
wife."  She  makes  no  answer  at  first,  but  thinks 
for  sometime  holding  her  head  in  her  two  hands. 
While  she  is  thus  thinking,  the  man  holds  his 
head  in  the  same  posture  without  uttering  a 
word.  When  she  has  deliberated  sometime  she 
lifts  up  her  head  and  say? :  "  Niau,  lam  willing,"* 
the  man  rises  at  once,  and  says  to  her;  "One" 
"that  is  settled."!     In  the  evening  the  woman 

*  Nis,  Yes,  Bruyas,  Mohawk  Dicty.  ms. 
f  Onne,  That  is  settled,  lb. 


r 


8 


i 


292 


THE    MANNERS 


takes  her  hatchet,  and  goes  to  cut  a  load  of  fire 
wood  ;  on  reaching  the  door  of  her  husband's 
cabin,  she  throws  the  wood  on  the  ground,  goes 
in  and  sits  down  near  the  Indian,  who  gives  her 
no  caress.  When  they  have  been  thus  long 
together  without  speaking,  the  man  says  to  her : 
•'  Sentaony,"  "  lie  down,"*  and  a  little  while 
after  this  man  lies  down   near  her. 

You  see  very  few  who  make  love  like  Euro- 
peans, laughing  and  flirting. 

They  leave  each  other  very  easily  and  without 
any  publicity,  for  they  have  only  to  say  "  I  leave 
you,"  and  the  thing  is  done.  They  then  regard 
each  other  no  more  than  if  they  had  never  niet. 
They  sometimes  fight  with  each  other  before 
separating,  but  this  occurs  very  rarely.  Some 
have  two  wives,  but  it  is  not  for  a  long  time. 
When  they  separate  the  woman  sometimes  carries 
oflF  all  the  goods,  and  all  the  furs ;  sometimes 
nothing  at  all  but  the  short  piece  of  cloth  that 
forms  her  petticoat,  and  her  blanket.  They 
generally  divide  the  children,    if  they  have   had 

*  Imperative  of  Gasataon,  To  lie  down  on  the  back,  lb. 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


293 


any  together,  so  that  some  follow  the  father  and 
some  the  mother.  Some  leave  them  all  to  their 
wives,  saying  that  they  do  not  believe  they  belong 
to  them.  In  fact  they  very  often  say  the  truth, 
because  there  are  very  few  who  are  proof  against 
a  coat  and  any  other  present  that  may  be  offered. 
If  these  children  are  of  a  French  father,  you  can 
detect  it  in  the  tace  and  eyes.  Those  of  the 
Indians  are  entirely  black,  and  they  can  see 
further  than  Europeans,  and  they  have  a  more 
piercing  eye.  If  the  Indian  women  were  capable 
of  contracting  marriage,  we  might  marry  as  many 
as  we  would  to  our  Frenchmen,  but  they  have 
not  the  necessary  dispositions,  they  have  not  the 
faith  necessary  for  that,  nor  the  will  never  to 
separate  from  their  husband,  as  experience  teaches 
us,  and  the  conversations  they  hold  on  the  point, 
show  us  clearly.  When  a  man  who  has  no  wife 
passes  through  a  village  he  hires  one  for  a  night 
or  for  two  according  to  his  fancy,  and  the  parents 
find  nothing  to  censure  in  this;  very  far  from 
that,  they  are  very  glad  to  have  their  daughters 
earn  some  clothes  or  some  furs.     Among  them 


•^.«*«»'l! 


"^ 


294. 


THE    MANNERS 


there  are  men  of  all  kinds  of  dispositions  as  in 
Europe;  some  love  their  wives  a  great  deal,  others 
entirely  despise  them,  some  beat  them  and  ill 
treat  them  ;  but  this  does  not  last,  as  the  wives 
leave  them.  There  are  some  too  who  are  jealous. 
I  saw  one  who  had  beaten  his  wife,  for  having 
gone  to  the  dance  with  other  men. 

Those  who  are  good  hunters  chose  the  hand- 
somest;  the  others  have  only  the  ugly  ones,  and 
the  cast-off.  When  they  are  old,  they  never 
abandon  each  other  except  in  rare  cases,  and  for 
grave  reasons.  There  are  some,  although  very 
few,  who  remain  from  twenty  to  thirty  years 
with  their  wives.  The  women  grow  desperate 
when  the  husband  who|^  is  a  good  hunter  leaves 
them  ;  they  even  poison  themselves  sometimes, 
as  I  saw  one  whose  life  I  saved  with  treacle. 
When  these  Indians  go  beaver  hunting  in  the 
spring,  they  often  leave  their  wives  in  the  village 
to  plant  Indian  corn,  and  squashes,  and  hire 
another  to  go  with  them  :  when  they  return 
home  they  give  her  a  beaver  or  two,  and  send 
her  home   in  that  way  and   go  back  to  the  first 


^■h  ! 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


295 


wife.  If  however  the  last  pleases  them  better, 
they  change  the  first  without  any  ado.  They 
are  surprised  that  the  Frenchmen  do  not  act 
like  them. 

One  day   while    the   husband   of  one   of  our 
French   women   settlers  had  gone  off  twenty  or 
thirty  leagues,    the   Indian   women   werit   to  see 
this  woman,  and  said  to  her  :  "  You  have  no  sense, 
take  another  man  for  the  present,  and  when  your 
husband    comes,    leave    this    one."     This    great 
inconstancy  and    changing  of  wives,  is  a  great 
opposition  to  the  maxims  of  Christianity,  which 
we  wish  to  impart  to  the  Indians,  and  one  of  the 
most  considerable  obstacles  to  the  faith. 

It  is  not  the  same  with  the  southern  nations 
among  whom  poligamy  reigns,  for  in  all  the  lands 
of  Louisiana,  there  are  Indians,  who  have  as  many 
as  ten  or  eleven  wives,  and  are  often  married  to 
three  own  sisters,  alleging  as  a  reason  that  they 
agree  better  among  themselves. 

When  a  man  makes  presents  to  the  father  and 
mother  of  a  girl,  she  belongs  to  him  as  his  own 
for   her  whole  life  if  he  wishes;  sometimes   the 


296 


THE    MANNERS 


il 


parents  take  back  children  from  their  son-in-law, 
restoring  the  presents  which  they  have  received 
from    him,  but   this    is   very  rare.      If  a  woman 
should  be  unfaithful,  lier  husband  would  cut  off 
her   nose,   ear  or  would  give   her  a  slash  in   the 
face    with  a  stone  knife,  and  if  he  should  kill 
her,  he  would  clear  himself  by  making  a  present 
to  the  dead  woman's  kindred  to  dry  up  their  tears. 
I  have  seen   several   badly  marked   on  the  face, 
who  had  nevertheless  children  by  some  scurvy 
fellows.     The   men   in   the  warm  countries  are 
more   jealous  of  their   wives  than   those  of  the 
north.     The    former   are  so   sensitive  in    matters 
of  this  kind,   that    they   wound  and  sometimes 
kill  one    another,  through    some    love  madness. 
The    young    warriors    do    not    often     approach 
women   till    they  reach   the  age  of  thirty  years, 
because  they  say  that   intercourse  with  women 
prevents  their  running.     The  men  there  go  en- 
tirely naked,  but  the  women  are  partly  covered 
with  very  neat  skins,  especially  at  the  dances  and 
ceremonies.     The   girls  curl    their  hair   and  the 

women  wear  theirs  after  the  gypsy  fashion.* 
*  Nouveau  Voyage,  (Voy.  au  Nord,  v.  pp.  286-291.) 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


297 


Indian  Feasts. 

They  have    several  kinds  ot"  feasts,  war,  death 
and  marriage  feasts,  feasts  to  cure  the  sick  ;   they 
also  have    ordinary  ones      They  formerly   gave 
obscene  ones,  where  men  and  women  associated 
pell  mell,  but  if  they  do  so  now,  it  is  very  rarely. 
When    they  wish    to  go  to   war,  it  is  for  some 
wrong  which,  they  pretend,  has  been  done  them  ; 
sometimes  in  consequence  of  a  dream,  and  often 
because  this  fancy  has  come  to  them,  or  because 
others  ridicule  them  in  these  terms :    "  You  have 
no   courage,   you   have   never    been    to  war,  you 
never  killed  a  man."     When    they  wish  to  go 
alone,  in  such  a  case   they  make  no  feasts,    but 
they  merely  say  to  their  wife:   "  Make  me  some 
meal,  I  am  going  to  war."     When  they  w=  1  to 
have    companions    they  go    through    the  whole 
village   to  invite    the  young   men   to   the   feast. 
These   take  each  his  kettle  or   platter  and  go  to 
the   cabin    of  the   one   who    has   invited   them, 
where  he  awaits   them   singing.     His  songs   all 
28 


-t^ 


■Mi 


298 


THE     MANNERS 


turn  on  war.  "  I  am  going  to  war,  I  am  going 
to  avenge  the  death  of  my  kinsman.  I  will  slay, 
I  will  burn,  I  will  bring  back  slaves,  I  will  eat 
men,"  and  other  things  of  the  kind,  which 
breathe  only  cruelty.  When  all  have  come  the 
kettles  are  filled  and  they  begin  to  eat.  And 
while  the  giver  ot  the  feast  continues  his  singing 
all  the  while,  exhorting  all  to  follow  him,  they 
do  not  say  a  word,  and  they  eat  all  that  they  have 
without  speaking,  unless  trom  time  to  time  some 
one  or  other  will  say  :  "  Netho,"*  or  "  Togenska,'* 
"Yes,  you  are  right."  After  they  have  eaten  all, 
this  master  of  the  feast  makes  them  a  harangue, 
and  they  reply  from  time  to  time  :  "  Netho," 
"  Yes."  When  he  closes  the  speech,  he  says  : 
*'  See  it  is  settled.  I  start  to  morrow,"  or  in  two 
days,  three  days,  in  a  month,  as  his  fancy  dictates. 
On  the  morrow  or  some  other  day,  those  who 
chose  to  accompany  him,  go  to  him  and  say  :  "I 
7^' J  to  war  with  you."  He  says  :  "  There,  that  is 
settled.     Let  us  get  ready  for  such  a  day."     They 

*  Etho,   Yes.     Bruyas,   Mohawk    Dicty.  ms.     Neto,  Yes. 
Onondaga  Diet.,  p.  76. 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


299 


es. 


sometimes  give  ten  such  feasts  before  setting  out. 
P'or.ijerly  they  gave  very  obscene  ones  before 
going  to  war.  For  if  a  girl  failed  to  give  her- 
self up  to  the  one  whom  the  leader  of  the  party 
had  prescribed  for  her,  all  the  misfortunes  that 
happened  in  the  warlike  enterprises  was  ascribed 
to  her,  so  ingenious  is  the  devil  in  matter  of  lust. 
When  they  marry  their  children,  they  give  no 
feasts ;  sometimes  they  do,  when  they  observe 
certain  ceremonies.  The  Hrst  thing  they  do  is 
to  think  of  the  eating;  for  this  purpose  they  fill 
great  kettles  with  meat,  according  to  the  number 
of  those  whom  they  wish  to  invite,  when  the 
meat  or  sangamity  is  cooked,  they  go  to  invite 
their  guests,  saying  as  they  place  a  little  billet  of 
wood  in  the  hand  :  "I  invite  you  to  my  feast." 
No  sooner  said  than  done,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
return  a  second  time  there.  All  proceed  thither 
with  their  kettles  and  platters.  The  master  of 
the  ht)use  makes  the  distribution  of  the  portions 
very  fairly,  and  the  giver  of  the  feast  or  soaie 
other  in  his  stead  sings  constantly,  till  all  is  eaten. 
After   the  meal   they  sing  and  dance,  and  each 


mm 


wm 


\    I 


PI  '■ 


300 


THE  MANNERS 


one  returns  hon^e  without  uttering  a  word,  except 
some  who  thank  him  who  has  invited  them. 

Feasts  to  heal  a  sick  person  are  given  almost  in 
the  same  way. 

The  death  feasts  are  sad  and  mournful.  There 
no  one  sings  or  dances  ;  but  the  relatives  of  the 
dead  remain  in  deep  silence,  and  show  a  downcast 
countenance,  in  order  to  move  the  invited  to 
compaiision.  All  who  come  to  this  feast  bring 
presents  and  throwing  them  to  the  nearest  rela- 
tives they  say  :  "  Hold,  this  is  to  wipe  away  your 
tears,  to  dig  the  deceased's  grave,  to  cover  him, 
to  build  a  cabin.  Hold,  here  is  to  make  a  fence 
around  his  grave."  After  they  have  thus  given 
their  presents,  and  emptied  their  kettles,  they 
return  home  without  saying  a  word.  As  for 
common  feasts,  they  are  conducted  in  all  sorts  of 
manners,  according  to  their  fancy.* 

Games  of  the  Indians. 

They  have   games  for  men,   for   the  women, 
and   for  the   children.     The  most  common  for 
*  Nouvcau  Voyage.      (Voyages  au  Nord  v.  pp.  281-4). 


\  i 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


301 


men  are  with  certain  fruits  which  have  seeds  black 
on  one  side  and  red  on  the  other;  they  put  them 
in  a  wooden  or  bark  platter  on  a  blanket,  a  great 
coat  or  a  dressed  skin  mantle.     There  are  six  or 
eight   players.      But   there   only  two   who  touch 
the  platter  alternately  with  both  hands,  they  raise 
it,  and  then  strike  the  bottom  of  the  platter  on 
the   ground   by  this  shaking  to  mix  up   the  six 
seeds,  then  if  they  come  five  red  or  black,  turned 
on  the  same  side,   this  is  only  one  throw  gained, 
because  they  usually  play  several  throws  to  win 
the  game,  as  they  agree  among  them.     All  those 
who   are    in  the   game,   play  one   after   another. 
There  are  some  so  given  to  this  game,  that  they 
will  gamble  away  even  their  great  coat.     Those 
who  conduct  the  game,  cry  at   the  top  of  their 
voice,  when  they  rattle  the  platter,  and  they  strike 
their  shoulders  so  hard  as  to  leave  them  all  black 
with  the  blows. 

They  also  otten  play  with  a  number  of  straws 
half  a  foot  long  or  thereabouts.  There  is  one 
who  takes  them  all  in  his  hand,  then  without 
looking  he  divides  them  in  two.     When   he  has 


302 


THE    MANNERS 


1 

;  ! 


separated  them,  he  gives  one  -^^rt  to  his  antago- 
nist. Whoever  has  an  even  number,  according 
as  they  have  agreed,  wins  the  game. 

They  have  also  anothei  game,  which  is  very 
common  among  litt  e  children  in  Europe.  They 
take  kernels  of  Indian  corn  or  something  of  the 
kind,  then  they  put  some  in  one  hand,  and  ask 
how  many  there  are.  The  one  who  guesses  the 
number  wins. 

They  also  play  a  game  which  they  call  in  their 
language :  Ounonhayenty.  But  it  is  rather  a 
trade  than  a  game.  They  get  into  two  cabins 
six  in  one,  and  six  in  the  other.  Then  there  is 
one  who  takes  some  goods  or  furs,  and  what  he 
wishes  to  exchange ;  he  goes  to  the  door  of  the 
other  cabin  and  utters  a  cry.  Those  in  the  cabin 
give  it  an  echo.  The  first  approaches  and  savs 
chanting,  that  he  wishes  to  sell  what  he  holds  in 
his  hands.  Those  within  reply  "  hon,  hon,  hon, 
hon,  hon,  hon."  The  seller  having  ended  his 
whole  song,  throws  his  merchandise  mto  the 
cabin  and  returns  home.  Then  the  others  having 
examined  the  prize,  and  asked  the  seller  whether 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


303 


he  desires  in  exchange  a  great  coat,  a  shirt,  a 
pair  of  shoes  or  some  other  thing  of  the  kind, 
one  of  them  goes  to  carry  to  the  other  cabin  the 
equivalent  of  what  has  been  thrown  in,  or  restores 
the  goods  so  thrown,  if  it  does  not  suit  him,  or 
if  it  is  not  worth  what  he  brings  as  exchange. 
These  ceremonies  are  accompanied  by  songs 
which  gladden  both  parties. 

The  children  play  with  bows  and  with  two 
sticks,  one  large  and  one  small.  They  hold  the 
little  one  in  the  left,  and  the  larger  one  in  the 
right  hand,  then  with  the  larger  they  make  the 
smaller  one  liy  up  in  the  air,  and  another  runs 
after  it,  and  throws  it  at  the  one  who  sprung  it. 
This  game  resembles  that  of  children  in  Europe. 
They  also  make  a  ball  of  flags  or  corn  leaves, 
which  they  throw  in  the  air  and  catch  on  the 
end  of  a  pointed  stick. 

Adults  both  men  and  women,  in  the  evening, 
around  the  fire,  tell  stories  after  the  manner  of 
Europeans.* 

*  Nouv.  Voyage.     (Vcn.  au  Nord  v.  p.  300.") 


li 


r 


!! 


i^ 


1-. 
'I 


!!l 


304-  THE    MANNERS 

T/ie  Rudeness  of  the  Indians. 

The  Indians  trouble  themselves  very  little  with 
our  civilities,  on  the  contrary,  they  ridicule  us 
when  we  practice  them.  When  iLey  arrive  in 
a  place,  they  most  frequently  salute  no  one,  but 
remain  squatting  down,  and  though  everybody 
come  to  look  at  them,  they  look  at  no  one. 
Sometimes  they  enter  the  first  cabin  they  come 
to,  without  saying  a  word.  They  take  their 
place  where  they  may  happen  to  be,  then  they 
light  their  pipes  and  smoke  some  time  without 
speaking.  When  they  come  into  our  houses, 
they  take  the  first  place.  If  there  is  a  chair 
before  the  fire,  they  take  possession  of  it,  and  do 
not  rise  for  any  one.  Men  and  women  hide  only 
their  private  parts.  They  break  wind  before  all 
the  world  without  caring  for  any  one.  They 
treat  their  elders  very  uncivilly,  even  breaking 
wind  in  their  very  faces.  There  conversation 
whether  among  men  or  women  is  generally  only 
indecency  and  ribaldry.  As  regards  their  inter- 
course with    their  wives,  they  generally  conceal 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


305 


■A 


themselves,  yet  sometimes  they  do  not.  How- 
ever they  show  no  other  marks  of  outward  inde- 
cency either  from  hatred  or  caresses.  And  they 
never  show  countenances  like  those  we  see 
practised  by  Europeans. 

They  never  wash   their  platters  which  are  of 
wood  or  bark,  nor  their  bowls  or  their  spoons. 
When   the  women  cleanse    their  children   with 
their   hands,  they  rub  them   slightly  on   a  bark, 
and   will  then   touch    the  meat  they  eat.     They 
scarcely  ever  wash   their   hands  c.    face.     Chil- 
dren have  little  respect  for  their  parents  ;  fathers 
allow  their  children  to  beat   them,  because  they 
say  that  if  they  punish  their  children,  they  would 
be  too   timid  and   would   not  be  good  warriors. 
They   eat   in  a  snuffling   way  and    puffing  like 
animals.     As  soon   as  men  enter   a  house   they 
smoke.     If  they  find  a  pot  covered  they  uncover 
it,  they  often  eat  from   the   platter   where  their 
dogs  have  eaten  without  washing  it.      When  they 
eat  fat  meat,  they  grease  their  whole  faces  with 
it.     They  belch  continually.     Those  who  have 
intercourse  with  the  French,  scarcely  ever  wash 


r! 


3o6 


THE  MANNERS 


their  shirts,  but  let  them  rot  on  their  backs. 
They  seldom  cut  their  nails.  They  rarely  wash 
meat  before  putting  it  in  the  pot.  Their  cabins 
are  ordinarily  very  dirty.  They  eat  lice.  The 
women  make  water  before  any  one  and  in  a  full 
gathering.  When  their  children  make  water  on 
their  blankets,  they  throw  it  off  with  their  hands. 
They  often  eat  lying  down  like  dogs.  In  fine, 
they  put  no  restraint  on  their  actions,  and  follow 
simply  the  animals.* 

Courtesy  of  the  Indians. 

Amid  all  these  incivilities,  you  find  some 
courtesies.  When  any  one  enters  their  cabins 
while  they  are  eating,  they  most  frequently  oflFer 
him  their  kettle.  So  ne  also  offer  us  the  best 
place  in  their  cabins  when  we  pay  them  a  visit. 
Those  who  have  had  much  intercourse  with  the 
French,  salute  us  when  we  meet  them.  It  is 
also  a  maxim  of  civility  among  them,  to  make  a 
return  when  you  give  anything.     Although  they 

*  Nouveau  Voyage.     (Voy.  au  Nord  v.  pp.  339-341.) 


ii.i    Tt- 


.MMiSi. 


^.lAJ-. .;».,-    i.     t.-,      .■...I.    ■...•■^ 


% 


OF  THE    INDIANS. 


307 


treat  their  elders  uncivilly,  they  nevertheless  re- 
spect their  advice,  which  they  very  often  follow, 
because  they  say  that  the  old  men  have  more  ex- 
perience and  know  affairs  better.  At  feasts  they 
often  make  a  distinction  between  men  of  con- 
sideration and  the  others,  for  they  give  them  the 
whole  head  of  the  animal  and  the  most  honor- 
able portion.  They  make  presents  to  one  another, 
and  very  often  give  feasts.  They  also  show  de- 
ference to  the  old  in  allowing  them  to  govern 
affairs,  because  this  is  honorable  among  them. 
There  are  some  also,  although  very  few,  who 
salute  us  in  French  style.  T  have  seen  one  who 
was  called  Garakontie,  that  is  to  say,  "  the  sun 
which  marches,'"'^  who  haranguing  before  the 
Count  de  Frontenac,  took  off  his  cap  every  time 
he  began  a  new  topic.  Another,  Chief  of  the 
Goiogoins  (Cayugas)  seeing  a  little  girl  whom 
he  had  given   to  the  govern  )r  of  the  country  to 

*  This  was  not  the  great  Daniel  Gamkontie,  who  died  about 
the  time  Hennepin  came  to  America,  Rel.  1673-9  p.  190;  but 
his  brother.  From  Garaicwa,  sun,  Bruyas  Fr.  Mohawk  Dicty. 
ms :  Onondaga  Diet.,  p.  94.  Tie  expresses  action  while 
walking.      Bruyas,  Racines  Agnieres,  p.  6. 


fl 


NSil 


i 


308 


THE    MANNERS 


' 


be  instructed,  said  very  civilly,  "  Onontio  (this  is 
what  they  call  the  governors  of  the  French),  you 
are  the  master  of  this  girl,  so  do  that  she  may 
learn  to  read  and  write  well.  When  she  is 
grown  up,  you  will  give  her  back  to  me  or  take 
her  for  your  wife."  I  have  seen  another  who 
was  called  Atreouati,  that  is  to  say  the  Big  Throat 
(Grand  Gueule)  *  who  eat  with  us  like  the  French. 
He  washed  his  hands,  took  his  place  at  table  last, 
unfolded  his  napkin  properly,  ate  with  his  fork, 
in  fine  did  all  that  we  do,  but  frequently  out  of 
malice  and  apishness  and  to  get  some  present 
from  the  French.-]" 


) 


Manner  of  making  War. 

The  Iroquois  pass  for  being  the  most  warlike 
among  the  Indians  whom  we  have  known  till 
now.  They  have  in  fact  defeated  several  nations, 
and  those  which  remain  have  been  obliged  to 
surrender    to   them.     They    have    among    them 

*  This  is  a  French  nick  name,  not  a  translation  of  his  name. 
f  Nouv.  Voyage,  (Voy.  au  Nord.  v  p.  341-3.) 


iiffi 


iiiuii 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


309 


I 


men  of  rank,  who  are,  as  it  were,  chiefs  of  bands. 
These  are  masters  when  they  travel.     They  have 
men  under  them,  who  foUow  them  everywhere 
and  obey    them  in   everything.     Before    setting 
out,  they  get   a  supply  of  good   guns,  powder, 
balls,   kettles,  axes  and  other   munitions  of  war. 
Sometimes  young  women  and  young  boys  accom- 
pany them.     In  this  trim  they  often  march  three 
or  four  hundred  leagues.     When  they  approach 
the   place  where  they    wish  to   kill   men,    they 
march  slowly  and  With   much   precaution,   and 
never   fire  a  gun    at  animals,  but   then    employ  a 
bow  which  makes  no  noise,  and  when  firing  they 
look  all  around  for  fear  of  being  surprised.     They 
send    spies    to    discover    the    mode    of  entering 
villages,    and  to  see   where  they  shall    begin   the 
attack,  or  to  watch   when  any  one  comes  out  so 
as   to  surprise   him,   and  this  is  what  generally 
happens.      For  they  never  strike,  except  treacher- 
ously, watching  a  man  behind   a  tree   as  though 
they  wished  to  kill   a  wild  beast.     It   is  by  this 
they  know  good  warriors,  when  they  know  how 
to   surprise     As  soon  as  they  have  struck  their 


t 


i 


Hi 


:f 


1 1\     H 

V         V  ' 


■f 


*^ 


i 


310 


THE    MANNERS 


blow,  if  they  know  how  to  get  well  off,  they 
are  incomparable.  Their  patience  is  wonderful, 
for  when  they  see  themselves  well  hidden  they 
very  frequently  remain  two  or  three  days  behind 
a  tree  without  eating,  waiting  for  an  opportunity 
to  kill  a  man.  Sometimes  they  march  openly 
and  fearlessly,  but  this  is  very  rare. 

When  they  were  at  war  with  the  French 
one  of  their  considerable  men,  called  Atreouati, 
went  with  eleven  or  twelve  others  to  kill  one  of  the 
priests  of  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  who  was 
in  a  village  which  is  called  La  Chine.  On  arriv- 
ing there  he  found  some  Frenchmen  to  whom 
he  said  :  I  am  going  to  kill  such  a  one.  In  fact 
he  killed  him  some  days  after  *  This  same  man, 
having  on  another  occasion  missed  his  blow, 
marched  into  Montreal,  crying :  "  Hay,  hay," 
which  is  a  sign  of  peace.  He  was  immediately 
received.  They  made  him  presents  and  good 
cheer,  but  as  he  went  out  he  killed  two  men 
who  were  roofing  a  house.     Some  have  told  us 

*  This   was  Rev.   James  Lemaitre,   killed   Aug.  29,  1661, 
See  Shea's  Charlevoix,  iii,  pp.  35,  303. 


'f 


*l 


!'• 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


3" 


that  they  had  been  in  war  as  far  as  the  lands  of 
the  Spaniards  who  arc  in  New  Mexico,  because 
they  relate  that  they  have  been  in  a  country 
where  the  inhabitants  gathered  red  earth  which 
they  took  and  sold  to  a  nation,  who  sold  them 
axes,  kettles  and  other  like  things.  This  earth 
apparently  was  gold."''  Those  who  do  not  go  to 
war  are  despised  and  pass  for  poltroons  and  cowards. 
They  attack  all  other  nations,  and  no  one  dare 
resist  them.  This  renders  them  proud  and  in- 
sufferable, they  call  themselves  on  this  account 
men  by  excellence,!  as  though  all  other  nations 
were  but  beasts  compared  to  them. J 


t 


Cruelty  of  the  Indians. 

We  are  surprised  at  the  cruelty  of  tyrants  and 
hold  them  in  horror :  but  that  of  the  Iroquois  is 

*  In  the  Nouv.  Voy.  he  intimates  that  the  Iroquois  related 
this  to  LaSallc  at  Fort  Frontenac,  and  probably  only  to  gratify 
him. 

t  Ontwe  Ongwe.      Briiyas,  Racines  Agnieres,  p.  119. 
\  Noiiv.  Voyage  (Voy.  au  Nord.  v.  p.  303-7.) 


^?  r 


312 


THE    MANNERS 


I 


I 


Jr 


not  less  horrible.  When  they  have  killed  a  man, 
they  tear  off  the  skin  from  his  skull  and  carry  it 
home  as  a  sure  mark  of  their  trophies.  When 
they  have  made  a  prisoner,  they  bind  him  and 
make  him  run.  If  he  cannot  tollow  them,  they 
give  a  blow  on  the  head  with  a  hatchet  and 
leave  him  after  taking  his  head  of  hair  or  scalp. 
They  do  not  spare  even  children  at  the  breast. 
If  the  prisoner  can  walk,  they  bind  him  a 
night.  They  treat  him  the  most  cruelly  they 
can.  They  plant  four  posts  in  the  ground  to 
which  they  tie  his  hands  and  feet,  thus  exposing 
him  all  night  on  the  ground  to  the  rigor  of  the 
season.  I  say  nothing  of  a  hundred  other  evils 
they  wreak  on  him  during  the  day.  When  they 
are  near  their  villages,  they  utter  loud  cries  by 
which  their  countrymen  know  that  it  is  their 
v/arriors  returning  with  slaves.  At  the  same 
time  men  and  women  put  on  their  best  dress  and 
go  out  to  receive  them  at  the  entrance  of  the 
village,  where  they  draw  up  in  a  double  line  to 
make  the  prisoners  pass  in  the  middle ;  but  it  is 
a  pitiable  reception  for   these  wretched   people. 


:  it 


I 


. 


OF  THE   INDIANS.  313 

inasmuch  as  this  rabble  fall  upon  the  like 
dogs  on  their  prey,  beginning  at  once  to  torment 
them,  while  the  warriors  pass  in  file  quite  haughty 
over  their  exploits.  Some  kick  these  poor  slaves, 
others  beat  them  with  clubs,  many  give  them 
slashes  with  their  knives.  Some  tear  off  their 
ears  o.  cut  off  the  nose  and  lips,  so  that  most 
succumb  and  die  during  this  pompous  entrance. 
Those  who  have  most  vigor,  are  reserved  for  a 
greater  torture.  Nevertheless  they  spare  some, 
but  rarely ;  when  the'  warriors  have  entered  their 
cabins,  all  the  elders  assemble  tc  hear  the  report 
of  all  that  has  occurred  in  the  war,  then  they  dis- 
pose of  the  slaves.  If  the  father  of  an  Indian 
woman  has  been  killed  by  their  enemies,  they 
give  her  a  slave  in  his  place,  and  it  is  optional 
with  this  woman  to  grant  him  life  or  put  him  to 
death.  The  following  is  what  they  do,  when 
they  wish  to  burn  them ;  they  bind  them  to  a 
stake  by  the  feet  and  hands,  then  they  heat  red 
hot  gun  barrels,  axes  and  other  iron  ware,  and 
apply  them  from  the  legs  to  the  head.  They 
34 


:         IV 


I 

I  *! 


I 


'I 


::!    i; 


J 


i 


li 


'f 


■1 

/ 


-M     i  ' 


'»■  (I 


)<ll 


I 


314 


THE  MANNERS 


tear  out  their  nails  with  their  teeth,  they  cut  off 
slices  of  flesh    from    their  back,  and   often  scalp 
them.     Then  they  put  live  coals  on  the  wound, 
cut  out  their  tongue    and  make  them   undergo 
all  the   tortures  that   they  can  think   of.      After 
having  tormented  them  in  this  style,  if  they  are 
not  yet  dead,  they  unbind  them  and  by  blows  of 
clubs  compel   them    to   run.     It   is  related    that 
there  was  a  slave  who  ran  so  well  that  he  escaped 
in  the  woods,  without  their  being  able  to  catch 
him,  but  who  apparently  died  for  want  of  help. 
What  is  moreover  surprising  is,  that  these   slaves 
sing   amid  their   tortures,  which    provokes  their 
executioners  immensely. 

It  is  related  that  there  was  one  who  said  to 
them  :  "You  have  no  sense,  you  do  not  know  the 
way  to  torture  ;  you  are  cowards ;  if  I  had  you  in 
my  country,  I  would  makeyou  suffer  much  more;" 
but  while  he  was  speaking  in  this  way  a  woman 
heated  a  little  iron  skewer  red  hot  in  the  fire  and 
ran  it  into  his  private  parts.  Then  he  uttered  a 
cry,  and  told  her  :  "  You  have  sense,  you  know, 
that  is  the  way  to  do." 


f 


I 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


3^5 


When  the  prisoner  whom  they  have  burned 
dies,  they  eat  him  and  make  their  children  drink 
his  blood,  in  order  to  render  them  cruel  and  in- 
human. Those  whose  lives  they  spare,  are  like 
slaves  and  servants  among  them,  but  in  course  of 
time,  they  lose  their  slave  state,  and  are  treated 
as  belonging  to  the  nation. 

The  Indians  of  the  whole  of  Louisiana,  which 
is  more  than  600  leagues  from  the  Iroquois,  par- 
ticularly the   Nadousiouz   among   whom   I   was 
made  a  prisoner,   are   not   less  brave  in  person. 
They    also    make    all    tht     surrounding    nations 
tremble,    although    they    have    only    bows    and 
arrows.     They  run  faster  than  the   Iroquois,  but 
are  not   so    inhuman,   and   they  do  not  eat  the 
flesh  of  their  enemies,  being  satisfied  with  burn- 
ing them.      Having       e  day  seized  a  Huron  who 
was   eating   human  fle  h    like   an    Iroquois,  they 
cut    slices  from   his  body,  and   told   him  :   You 
who   love  human    flesh,   eat   your  own,   to  show 
your  nation,  that  we  look  with  horror   on  your 


: 


316 


THE    MANNERS 


<7. 

.  i 


1^ 


I 

i 


maxims,    tor  your   people   are  like  dogs   that  eat 
every  kind  of  meat,  when  they  are  hungry* 


Indian  Policy. 

What  keeps  the  Iroquois  up  and  renders  them 
so  formidable  is  their  councils,  which  they  hold 
continually  for  the  slightest  matter.  For  a  mere 
trifle  they  assemble  and  reason  together  a  long 
time,  so  that  they  undertake  nothing  rashly.  If 
a  complaint  is  made  that  any  one  of  them  has 
stolen  anything,  they  first  use  every  effort  to  find 
the  one  who  committed  the  theft.  If  they  can- 
not discover  him,  or  he  has  not  wherewith  to 
make  restitution,  provided  they  are  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  the  fact,  tl»ey  make  some  presents 
to  the  injured  party  to  satisfy  him.  When  they 
wish  to  put  any  one  of  their  own  to  death  whom 
they  deem  guilty,  in  order  that  his  relatives  may 
hvae  no  ground  for  vengeance,  they  hire  a  man 
who  drinks  to  excess,  then  when  he  has  struck 

*  Nouv.   Voyage  ;     Voyages  au  Nord  v.  v.  pp.  307-IO. 


I 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


317 


the   blow,  they  give  as  the  only  reason,   that  he 

had  no  sense,  that  intoxication  impelled   him  to 

do  so.     They  formerly  had  another  way  of  doing 

justice,  but  it  is  abrogated.     They  had  one  day 

in  the  year  which  might  be  called  the    Feast  of 

Fools,  =^  for  in  fact  they  played  the  fool,  running 

from   cabin  to   cabin,  so   that  if  they  ill   treated 

any  one,   or  took   any  thing,   the  next   day  they 

said  :   I  was  crazy,  I  had  no  sense,  and  the  others 

are   satisfied    with    this   excuse,   without    taking 

vengeance  or  requiring  satisfaction.     When  they 

wished  to  kill  a  man,  they  hired  one,  who  while 

playing  the  madman,  killed  the  one  marked  out 

tor  him.     They  have  spies  among  them  who  are 

all  the  time  coming   and  going,  and  who  report 

all  the  news  they  hear. 

As  regards  trade,  they  are  shrewd  enough,  they 

do  not   easily  allow  themselves  to    be   deceived, 

but  they  consider  everything  attentively  and  study 

to  know  the  goods.     The  Ounontaguez  are  more 

*  The  Ononhouaroia,  see  Rel.  de  la  Nouvclle  France,  1656, 
p.  26  ;   L636,  p.  1 10. 


t 


i;  i 


i 


H  !!i  ^ 


318 


THE    MANNERS 


cunning    than    the  others    and    more    adroit    in 
stealing  and  in  doing  other  things  of  the  kind.* 


li  ; 

H 


1  - 


ii 


I     [ 


Manner  of  hunting. 

For  their    hunts   they  observe   the   times   and 
seasons.     They  kill   moose  and  deer  at  all  times, 
but  especially  when   there  is  snow.     They  hunt 
wild  cats    during    the    winter    and    .>orcupincs ; 
beaver  and  otter  in  the  spring  and  sometimes  in 
the  fall.     They  generally  surprise  moose  or  elk 
by   a  running   noose.     They    kill   bears   on    the 
trees  when   they  are  eating  acorns.     As  for  wild 
cats  they  cut  down  the  trees  on  which  they  are, 
then  their  dogs  spring  on  them  and  strangle  them. 
The  porcupines   are   taken    almost   in   the  same 
way,  except   that   they  are  killed  with   blows  of 
their   hatchets,  when    the  tree  falls,  because  the 
dogs  cannot  approach  them  on  account  of  their 
long  pointed   hairs   like  awls  (quills)  which  can 
insensibly  pierce  a  man's  body.     They  kill  dogs 
that  attempt  to  strangle  them,  if  these  hairs  are 

*  Nouv.  Voyage.     (,Voy.  au.  Nord  v.  p.  31 1-2.) 


Hi 


K* 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


319 


not  taken  out,  which  are  longer  and  sharper  than 
those  of  hedge  hogs.  These  animals  do  not  run 
fast,  a  man  can  easily  fun  them  down.  As  for 
otters  they  are  taken  in  a  trap  or  they  are  killed 
with  gun  shot,  and  very  seldom  with  axes,  be- 
cause they  are  very  cunning. 

The  Indians  take  beaver  in  winter  under  the 
ice.  They  first  seek  the  lakes  of  these  animals. 
The  beavers  have  admirable  ingenuity  ;  when 
they  wish  to  change  their  place,  they  select  a 
stream  in  the  woods,  which  they  ascend  till  they 
find  a  flat  country  suitable  for  making  a  pond. 
When  they  have  well  considered  the  place  in  all 
directions,  they  set  to  work  to  make  dams  to  stop 
the  water,  as  strong  as  those  of  ponds  in  Europe. 
The  dam  being  built  of  wood,  earth  and  mud 
as  high  as  is  necessary  to  make  a  large  pond, 
which  is  sometimes  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  length, 
they  build  their  cabins  in  the  middle,  on  a  level 
with  the  water,  with  wood,  flags  and  mud,  neatly 
I  lastered  by  means  of  their  tails,  which  are  longer 
and  broader  than  a  trowel.  Their  structure  has 
three  or  four  stories,  full  of  flag  mats,  where  they 


rrr 


:< 


■!    ( 
i    1 

A 

i 


I 


[•< 


•( 


320 


THE    MANNERS 


bear  their  young,  which  tliey  engender  by  coition 
like  all  land  animals.  At  the  bottonn  of  the 
water  there  are  upper  and  lower  places  of  exit. 
When  the  ponds  are  frozen,  they  can  only  go 
under  the  ice  ;  hence  when  winter  sets  in,  they 
lay  up  a  stock  of  aspen  wood,  which  is  their 
ordinary  food  ;  they  put  it  in  the  water  all  around 
the  cabin.  There  are  sometimes  three  or  four 
cabins  in  a  lake.  The  Indians  break  the  ice 
around  their  house,  with  an  axe  handle  or  a  pole. 
They  make  a  hole  and  sound  the  bottom  of  the 
water  to  know  whether  it  is  the  path  by  which 
the  beaver  come  out.  If  they  really  find  that  it 
is  their  passageway,  they  insert  a  net  about  a 
fathom  long  and  two  stakes  which  touch  the 
bottom  of  the  water  at  one  end,  while  the  other 
passes  through  the  hole  and  is  high  above  the 
ice.  There  are  two  cords  fastened  to  the  poles 
to  draw  the  net  when  the  beaver  is  taken  ;  but 
that  the  cunning  animal  may  not  see  the  net  nor 
their  persons,  they  spread  over  the  water  rotten 
wood,  cotton  or  some  thing  of  the  kind.  An 
Indian  remains  on  the  watch  near  the  nets  with 


I; 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


3^1 


a  hatchet   to  draw   the   beaver  on  the   ice,  while 
the  others  go  to  break,  in    the  cabins  with  great 
labor,  because  there  is  often  a  toot  of  earth  and 
wood  to  be  broken  and  cut  by  blows  of  the  axe, 
the  whole   being  frozen  as  hard   as  stone.     And 
then  they  sound  the  lake  in  all  directions  :   where 
they  find    a  hollow,  they  break,    the  ice  for  fear 
the   beaver    may  hide,   and   in   order   that  being 
forced  to  run    from   place  to  place,  they  may  at 
last  run    into  their   nets.     They  labor    with    the 
same  force,  often  from  morning  to  night,  without 
taking    anything.     Sometimes    they    catch   only 
three   or   four.     They   also   take  beaver   in    the 
spring  in  traps  in  the  following  manner.      When 
the  ice  begins   to  melt,    they  observe   the  places 
where  they  come  out,  and  there  they  set  a  trap. 
The  bait  or  lure  is  a  branch  of  aspen,  which  runs 
from  the  trap  into  the  water.     When  the  beavers 
come  to  it,  they  eat  it  up  to  the  trap,  where  they 
cause   two  heavy  blocks   of  wood  to  fall   which 
crush  them.     They  take  martins  almost   in  the 
same   manner   except   that  they  do   not  bait  the 
traps. 


ill 


I 


1 1 


I 


^ 

■  w 

It 

' '  D 

■■ 

1    1 

1 

( 

» 

1  ^- 

ii 

I 


322 


THE    MANNERS 


All  the  nations  in  the  south  or  Louisiana,  are 
more  superstitious  in  their  hunts,  than  the 
northern  tribes  and  the  Iroquois.  While  I  was 
there,  their  old  men,  six  days  before  setting  out 
to  hunt  the  wild  cattle,  sent  four  or  Hve  of  their 
most  alert  hunters  on  the  mountains  to  dance 
the  calumet,  with  as  much  ceremony  as  to  the 
nations,  to  which  they  are  accustomed  to  send 
embassies  to  form  an  alliance.  On  the  return  of 
their  deputies  they  exposed  to  the  sight  of  all 
the  world  for  three  days,  one  of  the  largest  kettles 
which  they  had  stolen  from  us,  which  they  sur- 
rounded with  feathers  of  all  sorts  of  colors,  with 
a  gun  of  our  French  canoemen,  which  they  placed 
across  the  top.  During  three  days  the  first  wife 
of  a  chief  carried  this  kettle  on  her  back  in  great 
pomp,  at  the  head  of  more  than  200  hunters,  who 
followed  an  old  man,  who  had  fastened  one  of 
our  Armenia  handkerchiefs  at  the  top  of  a  stick 
in  the  shape  of  an  ensign,  holding  his  bow  and 


arrows 
man 


in  his   hand   in    de 


ep 


SI 


lence.     This   old 


made  them  halt  three  or  four  times  to  weep 
bit^^erly  for  the  death  of  the  cattle.      At   the  last 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


323 


halt,  the  oldest  among  them  sent  two  of  their 
ablest  to  discover  the  buffalo.  They  whispered 
in  their  ears  very  softly.  On  their  return  before 
beginning  the  attack  on  these  monstrous  animals, 
they  lit  dry  buffalo  dung,  and  lit  their  pipes  or 
calumets  with  this  new  fire,  to  make  the  couriers, 
whom  they  had  sent,  smoke,  and  immediately 
after  this  ceremony,  a  hundred  men  went  behind 
the  mountains  on  one  side,  and  a  hundred  on  the 
other  to  shut  in  the  buffalo  whom  they  killed  in 
great  confusion.  The  women  boucanned  the 
meat  in  the  sun,  eating  only  the  poorest,  in  order 
to  carry  the  best  to  their  villages,  more  than  two 
hundred  leagues  from  this  great  butchery. 


Their  manner  of  Fishing. 

They  catch  all  kinds  of  fish  which  they  take 
with  snares,  nets  and  harpoons.  As  in  Europe 
they  also  catch  some  with  lines,  but  very  few. 
I  have  seen  them  fish  with  snares  in  a  very  curious 
way.  They  take  a  little  fork,  at  the  end  of 
which  between  the  two  points  they  fix  a  string 

*  Nouv.  Voyage.     (Voy.  au.  Nord.,  v.  p.  317.) 


I  , 


324 


THE    MANNERS 


I'  ^i 

i 


It 


III 


almost  in  the  same  manner  that  they  set  them  in 
France  to  take  partridges.  Then  they  put  it  in 
the  water  and  when  the  rish  pass,  present  it  to 
them.  The  fish  having  gone  in,  they  jerk  it  and 
the  fish  is  caught  by  the  gills.  I  taught  them 
to  take  them  by  hand  in  the  spring. 

The  most  important  of  their  fisheries  is  that  of 
eels,  salmon  and  white  fish.     The  chief  fishery 
of  the   Mohawks   who    are   neighbors  of   New 
Jork    is   that  of  frogs,    which   they    put    whole 
into  their  kettles,  unskinncd  even,  to  season  their 
sagamity  of  Indian  corn.     They  take  white  fish 
in  great  abundance  at  Niagara  where  Fort  Conty 
stands.     The  salmon  or  rather  salmon  trout,  are 
taken  in  several  other  places  around  Lake  Fron- 
tenac.     They  take  eels  by  night  when  it  is  a  fair 
calm.     Thes(    fish   descend    along    the   river  St. 
Lawrence  in  great  quantities.     They  put  a  large 
piece  of  bark   full  of  earth  on    the  end  of  a  log 
and   light  it   as  a  kind  of  torch,  which   makes  a 
very  clear  fire,  then  a  man  01     two  at  most,  enter 
a  canoe  with   a  spear    placed   between   the  two 
tines  of  a  little  fork.      When  by  the  light  of  the 


i 


I3ZZ 


OF  THE    INDIANS. 


325 


fire  they  see  an  eel,  they  harpoon  a  very  great 
quantity.  They  take  sahnon  with  spears  and 
white  fish  with  nets.  The  people  of  the  south 
are  so  keen,  ahhough  fish  pass  very  quick  in  the 
water,  they  never  tail  to  kill  them  with  strokes 
ot  darts,  which  they  send  very  far  into  the  water 
with  their  bows,  and  they  have  pointed  poles  so 
long  and  eyes  so  sharp  sighted  that  they  spear 
and  bring  in  large  sturgeon  and  trout,  which  are 
seven  or  eight  fathoms  in  the  water/^ 


Utensils  of  the  Indians. 

Before  the  Europeans  went  to  America,  the 
Indians  used,  and  all  the  nations  of  Louisiana 
still  use  to  this  day,  earthen  pots  instead  of  kettles, 
sharpened  stones  having  no  axes  or  knives.  They 
put  small  stones  in  a  split  stick,  and  a  certain  bone 
which  is  above  the  heel  of  the  elk  to  serve  as  an 
awl.  They  have  no  firearms,  but  only  bows 
and  arrows.  To  make  fire  they  take  two  little 
sticks,  one  of  cedar  and  the  other  of  a  harder 

*  Nouv.  Voyage,  (Voy.  au.  Nord  v.  p.  319.) 


r 


WiP' 


,.h 


1 1 


!i 


I 


326 


THE    MANNERS 


wood  and  by  rubbing  them  between  the  two 
palms  of  their  hands,  the  hardest  on  the  weakest, 
a  hole  is  made  in  the  cedar,  from  which  a  dust 
falls  which  is  converted  into  fire.  When  they 
wish  to  make  a  platter,  bowl  or  spoons,  they 
trim  the  wood  with  their  stone  hatchets.  They 
h'^llow  it  with  live  coals  and  then  scrape  them 
with  beaver  teeth  to  polish  them.  As  for  the 
northern  nations,  where  the  winters  are  long,  they 
use  raquettes  to  walk  on  the  snow. 

And  those  who  are  near  Europeans,  have  now 
guns,  axes,  kettles,  awls,  knives,  flints  and  steels, 
and  other  utensils  like  us.  To  plant  their  Indian 
corn  they  make  wooden  spades,  but  when  they 
can  get  iron  ones,  they  prefer  them  to  the  others. 
They  have  gourds  in  which  they  put  their  bear, 
wild  cat  and  sun  flower  oil.  There  are  none  of 
the  men  who  have  not  a  little  bag  to  hold  their 
pipe  and  tobacco.  The  women  make  bags  of 
Indian  corn  leaves,  of  linden  bark  or  flags  to  hold 
their  grain.  They  make  thread  of  nettles,  linden 
bark,  and  a  certain  other  root  of  which  I  do  not 
know    the    name.     To     sew   their   shoes    they 


„!■« 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


327 


use  only  babiches  or  laces.  They  make  mats 
of  flags  to  lie  on  and  when  they  have  none,  they 
use  bark.  They  swaddle  their  children  almost 
in  the  same  way  as  women  in  Europe  ;  they  tie 
them  to  a  board,  in  order  to  take*  their  kettles, 
some  have  cranes,  those  who  have  not  use  branches 
of  trees. I 


Manner  of  burying  th  Bead. 

They  bury  their  dead  with  much  magnificence, 
especially  their  kindred.  They  give  them  all 
their  best  finery,  and  rub  their  faces  with  all 
sorts  of  colors.  Then  they  put  them  in  a  coffin, 
whicn  they  arrange  like  a  kind  of  mausoleum. 
It  it  is  some  child  which  they  can  easily  put  in 
their  blanket  or  on  a  sled,  in  presence  of  all  his 
relatives,  in  order  thereby  to  elicit  the  presents, 
which  are  usually  made  to  wipe  away  their  tears. 
They  put  in  the  grave  with  him,  all  that  belonged 
to  him,  even  if  it  should  amount  to  the  value  of 

*  Prendre,  misprint  for  pendre,  hang. 

t  Nouv.  Voyage,  (Voy.  au.  Nord.,  v.  p.  323.) 


1h 


i     ! 


:ii 


328 


THE   MANNERS 


two  hundred  crowns.  They  put  there  even  his 
shoes,  snow  shoes,  awls,  a  steel,  an  axe,  belts  of 
wampum,  a  kettle  full  of  sagamity,  Indian  corn, 
meat  and  other  things  of  the  kind.  And  if  it  is 
a  man,  they  put  also  a  gun,  powder  and  balls, 
because  they  say  that  when  he  is  in  the  land  of 
the  dead  or  the  spirits,  he  will  need  all  this  out 
fit  to  hunt.* 


h 


Superstitions  of  the  Indians. 

There  are  sotr  ■  among  them  more  supersti- 
tious than  oti.crs,  especially  the  old  men  and 
the  women,  who  adhere  stubbornly  to  the  tradi- 
tions of  their  ancestors,  so  that  when  they  are 
told  that  they  have  no  sense,  that  they  ought 
not  to  cling  to  such  follies,  they  ask  us  :  "  How 
old  are  you  ?  You  are  only  thirty  or  forty 
years  old  and  you  pretend  to  know  things  better 
than  our  aged  men.  Begone,  you  do  not  know 
what  you   are   saying.      You    may    know    very 

Voyages  au  Nord.,  v.  p.  325. 


OF  THF,   INDIANS. 


329 


well  what  is  going  on  in  your  country,  be- 
cause your  old  men  have  told  you,  but  not  what 
occurred  in  ours  before  the  French  came.  We 
tell  them  in  reply,  that  we  know  all  by  means  of 
writing.  These  Indians  ask  :  Before  you  came 
into  these  lands  where  we  are,  did  you  know  that 
we  were  there.  We  are  obliged  to  say  No. 
Then  you  do  not  know  eve.  thing  by  writing, 
and  it  does  not  tell  you  everything.* 

*  Nouv.  Voyage  in  Voyages  au  Nord.,  v.  p.  329.  While 
I  was  among  the  Issati  and  Nadouessans  an  affair  occurred 
connected  with  this  matter.  An  Indian  died  who  had  been 
bitten  by  a  rattlesnake,  I  could  not  give  him  soon  enough  an 
infallible  remedy  which  I  always  had  with  mc  ;  that  is,  orvietan 
in  powder.  When  this  accident  befel  any  one  in  my  presence, 
I  first  .-nadc  scarifications  about  the  bite  and  dropped  in  a  little 
of  this  powder.  Then  I  made  the  bitten  man  swallow  some 
to  prevent  the  poison  reaching  his  heart.  One  day  these 
Indians  wondered  at  my  curing  one  .  f  their  warriors,  who  had 
been  bitten  by  one  of  these  snakes.  They  called  me  a  spirit, 
for  so  they  generally  style  Europeans.  "  We  looked  for  you 
in  the  hunting  ground  where  you  were  with  two  other  spirits, 
who  accompany  you,  but  we  were  so  unlucky  as  not  to  find 
you.  Do  not  leave  us  hereafter.  We  will  take  care  of  you. 
If  you  had  been  with  us,  our  warrior  whom  you  see  dead, 
would  still  be  in  a  condition  to  give  you  banquets.  He  knew 
very  well  the  trade  of  surprising  and  killing  our  enemies.  He 
supported  his  ten  wives  by  his  hunting.  If  you  had  been  with 
26 


330 


THE  MANNERS 


'I. 


tf 


Ridiculous  Beliefs. 

There  are  many  who  do  not  believe  what  their 
aged  men  relate,  and  there  are  also  some  who 
do.  I  have  already  stated  the  opinions  they  en- 
tertain as  to  their  origin,  and  the  cure  of  their 
sick.  They  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  they  say  that  there  is  a  very  delicious 
country  towards  the  west,  where  there  is  good 
hunting.  There  you  can  kill  all  kinds  of  animals, 
as  much  as  you  wish.  It  is  to  this  place  that  the 
souls  go,  so  that  they  hope  to  see  each   other  all 

us  you  would  have  prevented  his  dying.  You  could  have  done 
so  easily,  as  you  have  saved  the  lives  of  several  of  our  kindred. 
You  would  not  have  failed  to  do  this  for  the  one  we  bewail 
here  ?"  I  admired  the  neat  manner  in  which  they  had  laid  out 
this  corpse.  They  had  placed  him  on  very  pretty  mats,  and 
arranged  him  in  the  guise  of  a  warrior  with  his  bow  and  arrows. 
They  had  painted  his  body  with  several  colors.  One  would 
have  said,  to  look  at  him,  that  he  was  still  alive.  They  told 
me  that  I  must  give  them  some  Martinique  tobacco  of  which  I  had 
still  a  little  left,  for  the  deceased  to  smoke.  This  gave  me 
occasion  to  answer  them  that  the  dead  do  not  smoke  or  eat  in 
the  land  of  souls,  and  that  men  have  no  further  need  of  bows 
and  arrows,  because  there  is  no  hunting  in  the  country  where 
souls  go  ;  that  if  they  wished  to  acknowledge  the  great  chief, 
who  is  master  of  heaven  and  earth,  they  would  there  be  so 


ir 


OF  THF,   INDIANS. 


331 


together  there.  But  they  are  more  ridiculous  in 
saying  that  the  souls  of  kettles,  guns,  steels,  and 
other  arms  which  they  put  in  the  graves  of  the 
dead,  go  with  the  dead  to  serve  their  use  there. 
One  day  a  girl  having  died  after  baptism,  her 
mother  saw  one  of  her  slaves  at  the  point  of 
death.  She  said  :  "  My  daughter  is  all  alone  in 
the  country  of  the  dead  among  the  French,  with- 
out kindred,  without  friends,  and  here  it  is  Spring. 
She   will  have  to  plant   some   Indian   corn   and 

sated  with  seeing  him,  that  they  would  not  think  of"  hunting  or 
of  eating  and  drinking,  because  the  souls  have  no  wants.  These 
Indians  understood  only  grossly  what  1  told  them.  I  then  pre- 
sented to  them  two  fathoms  of  our  black  tobacco.  They  love 
it  passionately.  Theirs  is  not  so  well  prepared  nor  so  strong 
as  the  Martinique  which  I  gave  them.  I  made  them  understand 
that  I  gave  it  for  them  to  smoke,  and  not  the  dead  man  who 
could  do  nothing  with  it.  Some  of  the  Indians  present,  listened 
very  attentively  ana  very  seriously  to  what  I  told  them  of  the 
other  life  and  seemed  very  glad  to  hear  me.  The  others  said 
in  their  language  Tepatoui,  that  is  to  say  :  That  is  right.  For 
all  that  they  smoked  to  their  pleasure,  without  taking  any  further 
trouble  to  profit  by  my  words.  I  remarked  that  the  tears  which 
they  shed  for  the  dead  and  the  ceremonies  which  they  practiced 
in  regard  to  him,  such  as  rubbing  him  with  bear's  oil,  and  the 
like,  were  the  result  of  custom  and  of  an  old  routine  to  which 
they  are  inured  by  traditions,  which  seems  to  have  some  resem- 
blance to  Judaism. 


ii 


332 


THE   MANNERS 


ki.t 


U 


squashes.     Baptize  my  slave  that  she  may  also  go 
to  the  country   of   the    French    and    serve    my 
dauo^hter."  A  woman  being  at  the  point  of  death 
cried  out :  "I  will  not  be  baptized,  for  the  Indians 
who  die  Christians,  are  burnt  in  the  country  of 
souls  by  the  French."     Some  say  that  we  baptize 
so  that  we  may  have  them  as  slaves  in  the  other 
world.     Others  ask  whether  there  is  good  hunt- 
ing in  the   land  to   which   we  wish  them   to  go. 
When    we  reply   that   men   live   there    without 
drinking  and  eating.     "Then,   I  do  not  wish  to 
go   there,"   they   say,  "  because  I   want   to   eat." 
If  we  add  that  they  will    not   feel   any  want  of 
eating  or  drinking,  they  put  their  hand  on  their 
mouth,  saying  :  "You  are  a  great  liar.     Can  any 
one  live  without  eating?" 

A  man  once  related  the  following  to  us  in 
these  terms.  One  of  our  old  men  having  died, 
and  having  gone  to  the  land  of  souls,  at  first  found 
French  men  who  welcomed  him,  and  gave  him 
good  cheer.  Then  he  came  to  the  place  where 
the  Indians  are,  who  also  received  him  very  well. 
There  were  feasts  every  day,  to  which  the  French 


JBI 


OF  THE   INDIANS. 


333 


were  almost  always  invited,  because  there  there 
are  never  any  quarrels  or  wars  between  them. 
After  this  old  man  had  seen  all  these  countries  he 
came  back  and  related  all  to  his  countrymen. 
We  asked  this  Indian  whether  he  believed  it. 
He  answered  no  ;  that  their  old  men  said  that, 
but  that  perhaps  they  lied.  They  recognize  some 
sort  of  genius  in  all  things.  They  all  believe  in 
a  Master  of  Life,  but  apply  the  idea  differently. 
Some  have  a  crow  which  they  always  carry  with 
them,  and  which  they  say  is  the  master  of  their 
life.  Some  an  owl,  others  a  bone,  a  sea  shell  or 
some  thing  else  of  the  kind.  When  they  hear 
an  owl  hoot,  they  tremble  and  draw  sinister 
omens  from  it.  They  put  fiith  in  dreams  ;  they 
go  into  their  vapor  baths  in  order  to  obtain  fair 
weather  to  take  beaver,  to  kill  animals  in  the 
hunt.  They  do  not  give  beaver  or  otter  bones 
to  the  dogs.  I  asked  the  reason  ;  they  answered 
me  that  there  was  a  spirit  in  the  wood  which 
would  tell  the  beavers  and  otters,  and  that  after 
that  they  would  take  no  more.  I  asked  them 
what  a  spirit  of  this  kind   was.     They   replied 


II 


" 


33+ 


THE  MANNERS 


that  she  was  a  woman  who  knew  every  thing, 
and  was  the  mistress  of  all  hunting.  It  must 
always  be  remarked  that  as  I  have  said,  most  do 
not  believe  all  this. 

About  two  years  ago  an  Indian  woman  had 
poisoned  herself  while  on  the  hunt.  The  hunters 
had  brought  her  back  to  her  cabin.  I  went  to 
see  whether  she  was  dead,  I  heard  them  talking 
with  each  other  near  the  corpse,  and  say  that  they 
had  seen  on  the  snow  the  trail  of  a  snake  that 
had  come  out  of  the  woman's  mouth,  and  they 
related  this  very  seriously.  While  they  were 
discussing  it,  there  was  a  superstitious  old  woman 
who  said:  Otkon :  it  is  the  spirit  who  killed  her, 
who  went  that  way. 

I  have  seen  a  boy  seventeen  or  eighteen  years 
old  who  had  dreamed  that  he  was  a  girl.  He 
gave  such  credit  to  it,  that  he  believed  himself 
to  be  one.  He  dressed  like  the  girls  and  did  all 
the  same  works  as  women.  ' 

The  chief  of  our   village  ^'-  once  said   to  me  ; 

*  Evidently  that  near  Fort  Frontenac,  Nouv.  Voy.,  p.  333 
where  he  is  called  "Gannecouse  Kaera,  that  is  the  Bearded.  " 
Bearded,  deyagonouskeronda,  Onondaga  Diet.,  p.  26. 


OF  THF,  INDIANS, 


335 


Onontio,  that  is  to  say  the  Governor  General  of 
the  French,  the  Count  de  Frontenac,  will  arrive 
to  day,  when  the  sun  is  at  such  a  place.  In  fact 
he  arrived  at  the  very  hour,  of  which  however 
this  old  man  knew  no  tidings,  and  I  did  not 
know  what  deduction  to  draw  from  this  predic- 
tion.* 

The  Obstacles  to  the  Conversion  of  the  Indians. 

There  are  several,  both  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians,  and  on  that  of  the  Dutch,  the  English 
and  the  Missionaries.  On  the  part  of  the  Indians 
their  first  obstacle  to  the  faith  is  the  indifference 
which  they  feel  for  everything.  When  we  relate 
to  them  the  history  of  our  Creation,  and  the 
mysteries  of  the  Christian  religion,  they  tell  su 
that  we  are  right,  and  then  they  relate  their 
fables,  and  when  we  reply  that  what  they  say,  is 
not  true,  they  retort,  that  they  agreed  to  what 
we  said,  and  that  it  is  not  showing  sense  to  in- 
terrupt a  man  when  he  is  speaking  and  to  tell 
him  that  belies.  "  This  is  all  very  well,"  they  say, 

*  Nouv.  Voyage,     Voy.  au    Nord.,  v.  p.  329. 


mmmm 


m 


tfUHMi 


336 


THE  M  ANNKRS 


i 


■li 


,;i 


"for  your  countrymen  ;  for  them  it  is  as  you  say, 
but  not  for  us  who  belong  to  another  nation." 
The  second  consists  in  their  superstitions.  The 
third  is  that  tliey  are  not  sedentary.  The  obsta- 
cle to  the  faith  caused  by  the  Du.ch  and  English 
is  that  they  reverse  all  our  maxims  and  in  general 
do  before  the  Indians  the  very  opposite  of  what 
they  say,  making  no  scruple  ot  lying  to  them  at 
every  moment  from  a  spirit  of  lucre.  They  en- 
deavor maliciously  to  turn  on  us  the  hatred  of 
these  tribes,  in  order  that  they  may  give  no  credit 
to  the  truths  which  we  preach  them. 

The  obstacle  found  to  the  faith  on  the  part  of 
the  missionaries,  is  first,  the  difficulty  they  have 
in  learning  the  language  of  the  Indians.  The 
second  consists  in  the  different  opinions  concern- 
ing the  method  of  instructing  them  and  teaching 
them  the  catechism.  The  third  obstacle  which 
might  also  hinder  the  progress  of  the  faith,  would 
be  the  temporal  traffic,  which  would  render  the 
missionaries  suspected  by  the  Indians,  when  they 
wish  to  carry  it  on  against  the  laws  of  the  church.* 

*  Nouv.  Voy.  (Voy.  au    Nord.,  v.  p.  333.) 


tlffmr- 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


337 


Indifference  of  the  Indians. 

They  have  so  great  an  indifference  for  all  things, 
that  there  is  nothing  like  it  under  heaven.  They 
take  great  complacency  in  hearing  all  that  is  said 
to  them  seriously,  and  in  all  that  they  are  made 
to  do.  If  we  say  to  thein :  "  Pray  to  God, 
brother,  with  ine,"  they  pray  and  they  repeat 
word  for  word  all  the  prayers  you  teach  them. 
"Kneel  down,"  they  kneel.  "Take  off  your 
hat,"  they  take  it  off.  "  Be  silent,"  they  cease 
to  speak.  "  Do  not  smoke,"  they  stop  smoking. 
If  one  says  to  them  :  "  Listen  to  me,"  they  listen 
calmly.  When  we  give  them  pictures,  a  crucifix 
or  beads,  they  use  them  as  adornments,  just  as  if 
they  were  jewelry,  and  array  themselves  in  them, 
as  though  they  were  wampum.  If  I  should  say  to 
them  :  "To-morrow  is  the  day  of  prayer,"  they 
say  "  Niaova."  "  See,  that  is  right."  If  I  said 
to  them  :  "  Do  not  get  drunk,"  they  answered  : 
"  There,  that  is  right,  I  am  willing."  Yet  the 
moment  they  receive  drink  from  the  French  or 
Dutch,   these   latter  never   refusing  them   liquor 


t\ 


s 


l«  i»^* I' 


I'll 

If 

If 


1 1 


2^S  THE  MANNERS 

for  furs,  they  inevitably  get  drunk.  When  I 
ask  them  whether  they  believe,  they  say  "  Yes," 
and  almost  all  the  Indian  women  whom  some 
missionaries  have  baptized  and  married  to  French- 
men according  to  the  rites  of  the  church,  leave 
and  often  change  their  husbands,  because  they 
are  not  subjected  to  the  ordinances  of  our  Chris- 
tian laws,  and  that  they  have  all  liberty  to  change. 
These  tribes  must  absolutely  first  be  civilized  to 
make  them  embrace  Christianity,  for  so  long  as 
Christians  are  not  absolutely  their  masters  we 
shall  see  little  success,  without  a  most  special 
grace  of  God,  without  a  miracle  which  he  does 
not  work  in  regard  to  all  nations.  These  are 
my  sentiments,  from  the  experience  which  I  have 
had  with  our  Recollects  in  America,  and  the 
simple  statement  which  I  have  made  without  in- 
tending to  offend  any  one  whatever,  being  bound 
to  write  the  truth. 

Those  who    come    after    us    will    know    in 

time   the  progress  of  our   new  discovery  ;   since 

this  year  1682,   they  write  me  from   America, 

that    the  Sieur    de    la    Salle    with    our    Recol- 


OF  THE  INDIANS. 


.?39 


lects  have  been  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Colbert,  as  far  as  the  South  Sea.  They  have 
found  the  Akansa,  Taensa,  Keroas  and  theOuamats 
civilized  tractable  nations,  who  have  laws,  a  king 
who  commands  as  a  sovereign,  with  equitable, 
liberal  and  settled  officers,  these  nations  live  on 
the  banks  of  the  River  Colbert,  which  is  more 
than  800  leagues  in  length  500  to  our  knowledge 
which  we  have  acquired  by  ascending  it,  and  300 
which  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  has  made  descending. 
These  last  nations  live  in  a  country  very  fertile  in 
all  kinds  of  fruits.  It  is  as  warm  as  Italy.  The 
corn  ripens  there  in  fifty  days.  The  soil  bears 
two  crops  a  year.  There  are  found  there,  palms 
trees,  canes,  laurels,  forests  of  mulberry  trees,  a 
quantity  of  game  and  wild  animals,  and  other 
like  things  of  which  we  shall  give  the  public 
some  account  more  amply  hereafter. 

I  pray  God  to  give  his  blessing  to  our  new 
discovery  of  Louisiana,  and  that  the  King  may 
derive  all  possible  benefit  from  it. 

END. 


APPROBATIONS 


A 


"DESCRIPTION  OF  LOUISIANA," 

[Published  in  the  Nouvcau  Voyage,  L'trecht,  1698.] 

I  the  undersigned,  certify  that  I  have  read  and 
examined   a   hook   entitled   the  "  Description   of 
Louisiana,"  newly  discovered  southwest  of  New 
France,  with   the  customs  of  the  Indians  of  the 
same    country,   composed    by    the    Rev.    Father 
Louis  Hennepin,  Recollect  Preacher  and  Apos- 
tolic Missionary,  and  that  I  have  observed  nothing 
therein    contrary  to  faith   and  good    morals ;  but 
that   it   i.;   full   of  various   reflections  and    most 
useful  marks,  as  well  for  laboring  in  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Indians,   as  for  the  good  of  the  state 
and  the  kingdom.     Given  at  our  convent  of  the 
Recollects  of  Paris,  this  i  3th  of  December,  1 682. 
Father  C/ESARi^us  Harveau, 
Lecturer  in  theology.  Father  of  the  Province, 
and  Custos  of  the  Recollects  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  St.  Denis  in  France. 


! 


APPROBATIONS. 


34-* 


I  have  read  a  book  entitled  the  "  Description 
of  Louisiana,  newly  discovered  southwest  of  New 
France,  with  the  customs  of  the  Indians  of  that 
country,"  in  which  I  have  not  only  found  nothing 
but  what  is  conformable  to  the  faith  of  the 
Catholic,  Apostolic  and  Roman  Church,  the 
laws  of  the  kingdom  and  good  morals,  but  which 
moreover  gives  great  light  to  establish  the  faith 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  that  new  world,  and  to  extend 
the  empire  of  our  Invincible  Monarch,  over  a 
great  country  abounding  in  all  kinds  of  goods. 
Given  at  our  convent  of  the  Recollects  of  St. 
Germain-en-Laye,  this  14th  of  December,  1682, 
and  signed. 

Father  Innocent  Micault, 
Definitor  of  the  Recollects  of  the  Province 
of  St.  Denis  in  France,  and    Commissary 
General  in  the  Province  of  the  Recollects 
of  St.  Anthony  in  Artois. 


t\. 


r 


4' 


APPENDIX. 


ACCOUNT, 
oft 


VOYAGE  DOWN  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


[From  the  Nouvellc  DicouTcrte,  pp.  24!.] 

It  is  lii're,  that  I  desire,  that  all  thi-  worlil  know  the  mystery  of  this  dii- 
covery,  which  I  liMve  concealed  to  the  present,  so  as  not  to  mortify  the 
8ieiir  de  la  Salle  who  wished  to  have  alone  all  the  glory  and  all  the  most 
secret  knowledge  of  this  discovery.  It  i.s  on  this  account  that  he  sacrificed 
several  persons,  whom  he  ex|)oseil,  in  order  to  prevent  their  publishing 
what  they  had  seen  and  that  this  should  not  injure  his  secret  designs. 

It  must  be  av'iwpd,  that  it  is  very  pleasant  and  agref  able  to  repass  in 
one's  mind  the  hardiihijis  and  labors  one  has  undergone.  I  never  think 
but  with  admiration  of  the  very  great  embarrassment  in  which  I  found 
myself  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  Illinois  in  the  River  Mescbasipi, 
having  only  two  men  with  me  without  provisions,  in  no  condition  to  de- 
fend ourselves  against  insults  to  which  we  were  incessantly  exposed,  and 
that  in  the  design  of  going  on  to  an  iniknown  country  and  among  savage 
nations,  without  feeling  a  secret  joy  in  my  heart  to  see  myself  escaped  from 
so  numy  dangers  and  happily  returned  from  a  voyage  of  so  much  difflculty 
and  peril. 

This  river  of  the  Illinois  empties  into  the  Mescbasipi  between  the  36  and 
33  degrees  of  latitude.  At  least  this  appears  so  to  me  from  my  observa- 
tio'i  at  the  time,  that  I  pus. ed  tlieii%  although  it  is  ordinarily  put  at  38. 
Those  who  ninke  the  voyage  hereafter,  will  have  more  time  than  I  had 
to  take  the  idiitude  correctly,  because  I  li.uiid  myself  enveloped  liy  the 
conjuncture  of  llie  time  in  great  xinl  vexaiious  affairs  both  in  regard  to 
the  Sieur  de  la  !>alle,  and  in  regard  ;  these  two  men  whom  I  had  with 
me,  and  who  were  to  accompany  me  in  my  voyage. 


H+ 


VOYAGF,    TO    THE   GULl     FROM 


i  t 


I  was  assured  in  anianiiortlmt  could  not  be  doubted,  thai  if  I  dcsceiulpd 
to  [\\('  lower  |piirt  of  the  river  Meschasipi,  the  Sieur  de  lu  Sidle  would  not 
fail  to  decry  me  in  the  mind  of  my  superiors,  hecausi'  I  left  the  route 
nortliward,  wliich  I  was  lo  follow,  nccordinj;  to  his  request  and  accorilini,' 
to  the  project  which  we  had  formed  togellier.  Hut  moreover  I  saw  niyseli 
on  the  eve  of  dying  of  hun^jer  and  of  not  kimwinu;  what  \v;is  lo  become 
of  nie,  because  these  two  men  who  accompanied  me,  openly  threatened 
to  abandon  me  during  the  niyht,  and  carry  ol!  the  canoe  with  all  it 
contained,  if  1  prevented  Ihem  from  desiendini;  to  the  nations  who 
live  on  the  lower  part  of  the  river. 

Seeing  myself  then  in  this  strait.  1  thought  that  I  oiiijht  not  to  hesilale  as 
to  the  course  I  had  to  adoi)t,  and  that  I  ought  to  prefer  my  own  safety  to  llie 
violent  passion,  w  hich  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  had  lo  enjoy  alone  the  gloiy 
of  this  discovery.  Our  two  men,  seeing  me  then  resolved  to  follow  them 
everywhere,  promised  me  entire  fidelity.  Thus  after  clasping  hands  as 
our  mutual  assurance,  we  put  ourselves  on  the  way  lo  begin  our  vo/age. 

It  was  on  the  Slh  of  March  in  Ihe  year  ItiSO  that  wi'  embarked  in  our 
canoe,  after  having  said-our  ordinary  prayers.  In  this  way  we  continued 
our  customary  evening  and  morning  devotions  acconling  lo  the  usage 
practiced  among  us. 

The  ice*  which  was  coming  down  the  river  ai  this  point,  troubled  us 
greatly  because  our  bark  canoe  coidd  not  risist  it.  However  we  always 
gained  some  cunvenii'iil  distance  to  escape  among  the  cakes  of  ice  Thus 
we  arrived  after  abotit  six  leagues  way  at  the  liver  of  a  nation,  who  are 
called  the  Osagcs  and  who  live  towards  thi'  Missorites.  This  river  comes 
from  the  west,  and  it  appeared  to  us  almost  as  strong  as  Ihe  river  Mes- 
chasipi, on  which  we  then  were,  and  into  which  it  empties.  Its  waters 
are  very  much  disturbed  by  ihe  muddy  earth  it  hears  down  with  it,  so 
that  you  can  scarcely  drink  it. 

The  Issati  who  live  up  this  river  Meschasipi,  often  go  to  war  even 
beyond  the  place  where  I  then  was.  These  nations,  whose  language  I 
knew,  because  1  had  occasion  lo  learn  it,  during  the  stay  that  I  aflt^rwards 
made  among  them,  informed  me  that  this  river  ol  the  i)sag(  s  andof  Messo 
rites  was  formed  by  many  others,  aiuUhat  its  source  was  found  by  ascending 
ten  or  twelve  days  jouiney  to  a  mountain  from  which  all  these  streams 
are  seen  flowing,  that  then  lonn  this  river.  They  added  that  beyond  this 
mountain  the  sea  is  seen  and  great  vessels,  that  these  rivers  are  peopled 
by  a  great  number  of  villages,  in  wliich  are  found  several  d'tferent  nations ; 

•  Compare  Le  Olercq,  ii,  p.  *!«.    DlscoTcry  of  ilie  Umpisiippl.  p.  l«i'i. 


C 


IHK   "nOUVKLLE   DECOUVKRl" 


.H5 


that  there  arc  IbikIs  iiml  pi-Hincs  nml  ii  iricnl  hunt  of  wild  bulls  and 
btiiivers. 

Althouirli  tUia  river  is  very  liiri>c,  ilic  riviir  on  wliicli  we  Iheu  were 
(lid  not  seem  iiicreiised  by  it.  It  beiirs  in  sn  much  mud,  thiit  below  its 
moulli  the  wiiter  of  tlu'  jtreiii  riviT,  the  bed  of  which  is  also  lull  of  nnul, 
resembles  real  slime  rather  Ihnn  river  water.  This  continues  to  the  sea 
lor  more  than  two  hundred  leni?nes  beeause  Me.scliii8i|(i  meanders  in  several 
phiees,  and  receives  seven  hiriii'  rivers,  ihe  walei'  of  which  is  very  line,  and 
which  are  iilmo.st  as  lar^rc  as  ^[eschasipi. 

We  cabined  every  day  on  the  jsliinds,  al  liasi  when  we  conid,  and  dur" 
inj;  the  iiisht  we  (?.\tin;;nished  the  fire  which  we  Inid  kindled  to  cook  our 
Indian  corn.  You  can  smell  in  these  countri<'s  a  lire  that  is  light  ed 
iiccordinK  t<)  the  clianne  of  wind,  as  lar  (it!  as  I  wo  or  Ihni'  lca;;iies.  It  is 
in  this  way  that  the  Indian  warriors  know  I  he  places  where  their  enemies 
are,  so  as  to  upproacb  them. 

On  the  0th  Ihc  ice  which  canic  ilowii  tVimi  the  iiorili,  began  to  dinnidsh 
a  little.  After  ahcnit  six  leagues  >ad,  we  found  on  the  sonthern  bank  o 
the  river  ii  village  which  we  thought  wiis  inhabited  by  the  Tanniroa*,  who 
had  previously  pursucid  us.  Wc  lounil  no  oue  there  and  having  entered 
their  cabins  wc  took  some  bushels  ol  Indian  rorn,  which  was  u  great 
advantage  to  us  on  our  journey.  We  durst  not  strike '>(1  from  the  river 
to  hunt  for  fear  ol'falliiiL',  into  an  ambuscade  of  some  savages.  We  left 
six  knives  with  handles,  and  some  fathoms  of  black  beads  instead  of  the 
Indian  corn  which  we  carried  oil,  in  order  to  make  compensation  to  the 
Indians. 

On  tlie  Utth  we  d(!scended  lo  about  thirty-eight  or  forty  leagues  from 
the  Tamaroa.  There  we  fouml  a  rivc^r  which  the  Illinois  warriors  had 
previously  told  us  was  situated  near  a  luiliou  which  they  called  Oilade- 
bache.f  We  saw  there  only  nuid  and  flags,  and  we  found  the  shores  of 
the  river  very  marshy,  so  that  we  had  to  descend  out  of  sight  without 
finding  a  place  lit  to  cabin. 

We  accordingly  ren\aincd  all  day  in  this  place  to  boiican  a  wild  cow, 
that  we  had  kilted,  while  this  monstrous  beast  was  swimming  from  laud 
to  land.  The  parts  of  this  cow  that  wc  could  not  carry  away,  because 
our  canoe  wa>  too  small,  we  left  there,  and  contented  tairselves  with 

*lie  Clcicq,  Ii,  p.  2in.     Olscovcry  of  the  MlHSlSHlppi,  p.  IBT. 

tCompiiro  F.  Zouolw  Membro  la  Lo  Clorcq,  11,  p.  219.  DIscoTery  of  tlie  Mleeiselppl^ 
p.  1«7.  Uennepln  know  <  nouvti  atwut  the  country  not  l<>  make  a  nation  called  Oiude 
btche,  as  In  done  ticre. 


346 


VOYAGK    lO    I'HK   CULF    FROM 


suine  which  we  lunt  sniokt.'d  like  strips  of  liticon,  liccuusr  we  coulil  not 
preservi'  tins  niciit  in  an}'  dtlicr  »viiy  lor  wiinl  of  s;ilt. 

We  eiiibiirked  on  llio  14lli  loaded  with  liiiliau  corn  und  good  meal 
whicii  served  us  Imllast,  luul  on  wliicli  we  lived  for  nciiily  forty  lea^rmtt). 
We  could  Hcurccly  laud  in  conscqucnec  of  lite  great  (inauiily  of  thigs  and 
mud  that  we  lonnd  on  liolli  liiiiiks  of  tlic  river.  If  wr  hiid  been  in  a 
sloop,  we  slionld  have  slept  on  lio  ird,  Iteeauso  il  was  very  ditlicull  to  land 
on  account  of  the  mud,  l'o;un  and  (pnikinn  earth. 

On  the  intli  we  found  three  Indians  on  our  way.  They  were  relurninff 
from  war  or  hunting.     As  we  were  in  a  condition  to  resist  them,  we  met 

hem  ami  this  put  them  to  llight.  One  of  lliem  however  after  taking  u 
jCW  steps  retiwned  to  usand  ollered  us  the  calumet  of  peace  which  we 
received  joy lully.  This  ohliged  the  others  to  letiirn  to  us.  Wc  did  not 
understand  their  language.  We  named  two  or  three  different  nations  ti 
them.  One  of  them  aiiswi.red  us  thice  times  C.'hikacha  or  Sikacha,*  whicli 
was  apparently  the  name  of  his  nation.  Tlie}-  presented  us  some  peli- 
cans whicli  llicy  Inid  killed  with  tlieir  arrows,  and  we  gave  them  some  of 
our  houciiuned  ini'iit.  Thesis  people  not  being  able  to  enter  our  canoe, 
because  it    was    too    small   and    loaded,    kept  on   their    way    by  land' 

making  signs  that  we  would  follow  lliemlo  their  village.  But  at  last  we 
lost  sight  of  them. 

After  sailing  down  two  days,  we  found  nniny  Indians  on  the  west  side 

of  the  river.     We  had  previously  heard  a  dull  souml  like  that  of  a  drum 

and  several   voices  of  men,   which  called  out  Sasacoiiest.t  which  means 

"  Halloo  ! "  or  "  Who  goes  there  ?  " 

As  we  durst  not  approacli,  these  Indians  sent  a  peringua  or  large  woodeu 

canoe  to  us.     These  lliey  make  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out  by  Are 

like  little  boats  or  Venetiiin  gc.ndohis. 

We  presented  thtr  calumet  of  peace  to  them  antl  the  three   Indians,  of 

whom  we  spoke  above,  intimated  to  us  by  their  gestures  and  their  word*, 

that  we  must  land  and  go  witli  ilnin  to  their  friends  the  Akaiisa.     They 

accordingly  carried  our  canoe  and  the  goods  of  oiif  men  very  faithfully. 

»Thl»  encounter  of  I'hlcliiHawK  \f  in  I,i'  C'lercq,  11.  p.  210.  DUcovery  of  Hlsel^iippi, 
p.  168. 

+  Le  C'lercq,  11.  p.  iBl,  Discovery  of  the  .MiBsleslppl,  i>.  I(j8,  baa  •'  Wo  heard  on  the 
right  (IniDi*  beating  and  fiisDccmeBt  niade."  t*ai>ttkwi'.win,  joyful  Bhoiitlng,  Baraga's 
Olcblpwe  Dictionary,  p.  :)II4.  "Sasacouest,  that  is  to  xay  war  cries,"  Le  Clercq,  11, 
p.  235.  and  in  the  East,  ChichliuoU  was  u  word  adopted  by  the  Piench,  and  is  used  by 
Membrd.  Uenuepln  must  have  known  its  ueaulng  and  would  not  hkTe  made  the 
blander  here  committed. 


THK  "noUVRLI.F,   DECOU VRR'I'F,' 


34-7 


ThCBrt  pi'ople  reifuletl  uh  after  their  rnshion  with  many  inivrkH  uf  trieDdihip, 
They  ^ftve  us  a  cabin  to  oiirsHlvci*,  beans,  Indian  nioul.  and  buucanued 
niL'iit.  ()u  c)ur  sidt^  we  made  tlicm  pn-scnts  of  our  European  goods,  for 
wbicli  they  shewed  ijreiit  esteem.  They  placed  tlieir  finsers  on  tlicir 
mouth  to  siiow  lIuU  tliey  nilinircd  lliein  iiud  especially  our  Hrc  arms. 

Tliese  Indians  are  very  ditl'ereni  from  thom-  ol'  llic  .North,  who  are 
generally  of  a  sad,  stern  and  wivere  disposition.  These  are  much  belter 
formed,  upriijht,  liberal  and  very  gay.  Their  young  people  an;  so  modest, 
that  they  would  not  dare  to  spciilx  before  the  aged,  unless  a  (piestion  is 
put  to  them.  We  perceived  domestic  fowls  among  these  people,  ;*>«&» 
il'indf  in  great  nnmhirs,  »ud  tamed  wild  geese  like  geese  iu  Europe.  Their 
trees  already  began  to  sliow  liieir  I'ruil,  like  pnaehes  and  other  (Vuits  of 
that  nature.* 

Our  two  men  began  to  relish  llie  mode  nf  acting  of  these  people.  If 
they  had  been  able  to  gui  l)ea\  er  skins  aud  furs  in  exchange  lor  their 
goods,  the}' would  have  bartered  them  all  aud  lell  me  among  t  hese  savages. 
But  I  made  them  H('e  t hit t  ihis  •!;  c  ivery  was  ol  the  greater  importance 
to  them,  than  the  ri'liirn  oftheir  gooils,  and  that  .so  it  was  not  yet  time  to 
think  of  trade.  1  accordingly  advised  them  to  look  out  lor  a  suituble 
l)lace  to  bide  all  the  goods  which  tlicy  had  brou,'lil  wilii  us  in  the  cauoe, 
till  their  return.  They  enilmiced  my  view  h,  and  we  had  no  thought  e.v 
cept  how  to  carry  out  this  plan. 

On  the  18th  after  several  daiucs  and  feasts  by  our  hosts,  we  embarked 
with  all  our  equipage  a  little  after  riomi.  These  Indians  could  not  with- 
out regret  see  us  carry  otf  our  goods.  However  ia  as  much  as  they  hud 
received  our  peace  calnnn't  anil  had  given  us  another,  they  allowed  us  to 
go  with  full  liberty. 

Descending  the  river  we  toiiml  a  spot  lietween  two  hills,  which  had  a 
little  wood  on  the  east.  We  ha<i  a  siiadw  anil  a  pick,  which  we  used  to 
dig  a  hole.  VVe  (Miclosed  in  it  all  our  men's  goods,  reserving  tor  ourselves 
only  the  ntost  necessary,  and  v\hat  w.as  suitable  to  nuike  presents.  After 
which  we  placed  pieces  of  wcod  over  this  little  cell.ir.  \\  hich  we  covered 
with  sods,  so  that  nothing  louM  t)c  observed  We  gathered  all  the  earth 
which  we  had  taken  out  and  threw  it  inio  the  river. 

We  re-embarked  very  prouipil\  after  completing  this  task,  and  \\e  look 
oft  bark  from  tlni^'  oaks  ami  im  a  large  cotton  wood  we  made  a  figure  of 
four  crosses  in  order  to  recognize  the  place  of  our  cache.  We  then 
arrived  at  (a  spot)  six  le.igui's  from  the  Akansa  whom  we  had  left,  and 

*  This  if  from  Le  Clercq  ii,  p.  234.    OtBCorary  of  the  Miss.,  p.  m. 


H« 


VOYAGF.  TO    THR  GULF   FROM 


there  round  anolhur  village  of  the  Hanie  nation,  and  then  another  of  the 
same,  two  or  lliii'i'  leiigut's  lower  down* 

It  seemed  lliiit  llicse  saviifjes  had  sent  nieHscn;C('rs  to  all  thene  nations  to 
notily  lhun>  of  mir  arrival.  These  people  ijiivc  us  th<!  bent  reception  in 
the  world.  Their  women,  their  childri'iiand  the  whole  village  gave  us 
loud  acrlaiualii)ns.  niul  showed  every  possible  mark  of  .loy.  We  pive 
them  oil  our  side  marks  of  our  gratitude  !)y  bestowing  presents  on  them, 
whieh  showed  that  we  had  cdine  in  peace  ami  Iriemlship. 

On  the  'Jlst  this  nation  took  us  in  a  periagua  to  a  nation  further  on, 
whose  luuno  they  made  us  learn  by  dint  ol  repealing  it  to  us.  They  were 
the  Taeusa  They  accordingly  (^ondueteil  us  to  that  place.  These  Indians 
live  near  a  little  ialvc,  which  the  river  Meschasipi  forms  in  the  land. 
Time  did  not  permit  us  to  consider  several  of  their  villages,  by  wliich  we 
passed. 

These  people  received  us  with  much  more  ceremony  than  the  Akansa, 
One  of  tlieir  chiefs  came  in  state  to  meet  us  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
He  was  covered  with  a  white  ri)l)e  or  blanket,  made  of  the  bark  of  a  tree 
whieh  they  spin  in  llial  country.  Two  of  his  nun  preceded  liiin  witli  a 
kind  of  blade  or  plate  of  copper  which  glittered  in  the  sun  like  gold. 
They  received  our  peace  calumet  with  i;reat  marks  of  joy.  Their  chief 
held  himself  gravely  in  his  posture,  and  all  the  men,  women  and  children 
there  rendered  very  great  respect  to  him  as  well  as  to  me.f  They  kissed 
the  sleeves  of  my  l''ranciseaii  habit,  which  I  have  always  worn  anu)ng  all 
the  nations  of  America.  This  made  me  understand  that  these  tribes  liad 
doubtless  seen  some  of  our  religious  among  the  Ppaniaids,  who  live  in  New 
Mexico,  because  they  are  accustomed  to  kiss  the  habit  of  our  order,  but 
all  tids  is  merely  conjecture. 

These  Taensa  ciuidiicled  us  with  all  our  erpupage,  wlille  two  of  their 
men  carried  our  bark  canoe  on  their  l)ack.  They  placed  us  in  a  tine 
cabin.  cov( fed  w  ith  mats  of  Hat  riisbis,  or  polislied  canes.  The  chief 
regaled  ua  with  all  that  this  nation  could  give  us  to  eat,  after  which  they 
performed  a  kind  of  dance,  the  men  imd  the  wouum  holding  their  arms  in- 
terhiccd.  As  soon  as  the  \uen  had  liidsiied  tlie  last  syllable  of  their  songs, 
the  women  who  are  halt  covered  in  Hull  co'intry,  sang  alternately  in  a 
shari)  and  disagreeable  voice  that  pierced  our  ears. 

Tills  country  is  fidl  of  jialm  Ircns,  wild  laurel  and  several  other  trees, 
which  are  like  ours  in  Europe,  as  plum  trees,  multjerries,  peach,  pear  and 

•  Le  Clercq  II,  p.  '■  S6.    D!»coverj  nf  the  MUs.,  p.  170. 

t  Thl8  account  of  the  Taensas  l»  from  Le  L  Ivrcq,  II,  p.  •iid-l.  Diacovery  of  th<  Hiea. 
pp.  iTO-l. 


THF,  "noUVKLLK  DfiCOUVF.RTR' 


.>49 


apple  treeg  of  nil  kinds.  Tlirrc  nre  five  or  six  kindo  of  wnlniil  trers,  the 
nuts  of  which  are  of  (ixtnionlinaiy  si/c.  Tht-y  Imve  also  severiil  dry 
fruits,  which  are  vciy  lar^c  and  which  wc  found  very  ^'ood.  There  arc 
also  several  fruit  trees  which  we  have  not  in  Europe.  Hut  the  season 
was  not  then  far  enough  advanced  to  observe  the  fruit.  We  saw  vines 
there  which  were  rc;idy  to  hliissoin.  In  a  word  the  mind  and  disposilion 
of  this  peo])le  s(!cnied  to  us  very  agreeable.  They  are  docile,  tractable 
and  capable  of  reason. 

We  slept  amonc  this  nation  and  there  received  every  good  treatment 
that  we  could  desire.  I  made  our  men  put  on  their  best  clothes,  and  they 
armed  themselves  Irom  bead  to  foot,  I  showed  them  a  pistol  which  fired 
four  consecutive  shots.  The  habit  of  St.  Francis,  which  I  then  wore  with 
the  white  /.jirdle  over  it,  was  still  almost  all  new,  when  I  started  from 
Fort  Crevecn-ur.  These  Indians  admired  our  sandals  and  our  bare  feet. 
All  this  as  well  as  our  manner  of  actiii<;,  attracted  alike  the  allection  and 
respect  of  these  people  and  impressed  such  fiivorahhi  sentiments  for  us  on 
their  minds,  tliiil  they  did  not  kni>w  what  courtesies  to  show  us. 

They  would  have  *  much  wished  to  detain  us  amouL;  them,  in  order 
even  to  give  us  stronger  marks  of  their  esteem,  they  sent  during  the  night 
to  inform  their  allies  the  Koroa  of  our  arrival  among  them.  For  this 
object  the  chiefs  and  headmen  among  them  came  to  see  us  the  next  day 
to  testify  to  us  the  joy  they  I'elt  at  our  coming  among  their  friends.  I  had 
a  white  wood  tree  hewn  square  by  our  two  men,  and  then  we  mad('  a 
cross  which  we  planted  twelve  feel  from  the  house  or  great  cabin  where 
we  were  lodged. 

On  the  22d.  we  left  tliis  nation  and  the  chief  of  the  Koroa  accompanied 
us  to  his  village.  It  stands  ten  leagues  lower  down  in  a  very  agreeable 
country.  On  one  »id(!  there  you  see  Indian  corn,  and  beautiful  prairies  on 
the  other.  We  presented  to  them  thre<!  axes,  six  knives,  four  fathoms  of 
Martinique  tobacco,  some  awls  and  little  packages  of  needles  They  re- 
ceived them  with  great  acclamations  of  joy.  This  chii^f  presented  to  us  a 
peace  calumet  of  red  niai  ble,  the  stem  of  which  was  trimmed  with  feathers 
of  four  or  live  diflerent  kinds  rf  birds. 

During  the  baiiqtiet  which  this  chief  gave  us,  he  showed  us  with  a  stick, 
by  which  he  made  varioii.s  marks  on  the  sand,  that  it  was  still  six  or  seven 
days  sail  tn  the  sea,  which  he  ri'iircsented  to  us  as  agreat  lake,  where  great 
wooden  canoes  were  to  be  seen. 


•  'I'liis  If  mill  ol  Ihr  Nucliir  (Niitchrz)  in  I,o  I'lerci).  il  p.  *!l.  DiHCOvery  of  the  Miss.,  p 
173,  wlio  were  e-omloa  of  the  Tuonsus,  but  who  are  entirely  omitted  here. 


35<^ 


VOYAGF  TO  THF   (;ULF  FROM 


I 


5- 


i 


^ 


On  the  'i'M,  llii»clii«'f  i)f  llii-  Knion  Ncciiii^  iisdlHposoil  to  set  out  to  goto 
the  iu'ii,  III-  niiidi'  mcvciiiI  oI'  liix  iiii'ii  I'liilmik  in  Iwo  pfHtiiriiaH  to  (l<-8('onrl 
tlic  river  «illiii>.  llr  liml  nuiilc  iliciii  lul.c  provisions  with  llicni,  ami 
IIiIh  prt'VRntcd  our  U'ellnkr  nny  illslrnsi. 

I'm  wlirn  1  ixrriivtil  \\\v  ilinc  (')iikiuhii.  wtiom  1  have  nit-ntioned 
wlio  r<ill(iw«'il  Us  tiniiinir  nil  tlii'  uuliiiii«  wlicrc  wo  wi'tti,  I  WHrni'd  our 
nu-n  to  lit'Wiirc  of  tliciii  nnd  to  ^'^(•  tlint  lliry  did  not  lif  in  tunlxi^h  to  sur- 
prise ns  nt  (nir  liindin>.'s.  W'f  weic  ilicn  ni  Kiistrr  diiv,  lint  wo  could  not 
siiy  niiiss,  for  Wiinl  iifwiiic,  wliidi  liiul  ftiiled  u«  ;it  F^ort  Crfvcco'ur  We 
HTcM'dinsjlv  willidriw  ,i|iiirl  from  iIh'm-  pcnplf,  wlio  iilwiiys  kept  their 
ey('»  on  im,  in  order  tn  siiy  onr  priiycrs  iind  InKII  the  ohilirallon  of  true 
('lirisli:ins  on  ihiit  solemn  diij  I  exhorted  our  men  to  eonfldence  ni 
God,  lifter  which  we  eniliurked  in  thi'  siijhl  ot  the  whole  village. 

Tie  three  CldkneliM  entered  the  pi-riiiiiuiis  of  llie  Koroiis  who  escorted 
tissix  k'liirues  l)el(i\v  llieir  villiine.  There  the  river  Mesclmsipi  divides* 
inio  Iwo  ehiinnels.  which  form  a  Kreiil'islHnd  that  seemed  to  ne  extremely 
lonir.  It  UKiy  lie  iihoiil  sixty  leagues  in  eMeiil  accordiii>f  to  ilu(  observa- 
tions, thill  we  mild''  as  we  folldwid  iIh  eliannel  wideli  is  mi  llie  west 
side.  The  Koroa  ohli^jed  us  to  take  ithy  tlie  slunnl  which  they  made  us. 
The  Chikacha  « islied  lo  iiinki'  us  i;(»  liy  llie  othi  r  channel  which  is  on  tlie 
east.  It  was  perhaps  to  have  the  jiimoi  nl  taking  Us  to  nine  or  ten  dif- 
fereut  nations  which  are  on  lliHl  side,  i;iid  who  appeiifed  to  tie  very  good 
people,  as  we  remarked  cm  our  icliirii. 

We  there  lost  llie  IiniiaiiH  wiio  ucciimpunied  im  because  their  periuguas 
could  not  go  as  fast  as  our  hark  cnnoe.  which  was  lighter  than  these 
periagiias.  The  etirreiit  of  this  channel  heinp  very  rapid,  we  made  that 
day  according  to  our  Judgment  liiirty-tlve  <))•  forty  leagues,  and  were  not 
then  at  the  end  of  this  island  of  which  we  have  just  spuken.  We  crossed 
the  channel,  and  cabined  on  this  island,  leaving  it  the  next  day. 

On  the  24lli  after  sailing  a^ain  nearly  thirty-tive  or  forty  leagues,  we  per- 
ceived two  men  fishing  on  the  hank  of  the  river,  who  took  flight.  Sometime 
after  we  heard  some  war  cries  and  according  to  all  appearances  the  roll 
of  some  drum.  We  afterwanls  luitrned  that  it  was  the  nation  of  the 
Quinipissa,*  and  us  we  were  in  dread  of  the  Chikacha,  we  always  kept 
the  thread  of  the  channel  and  thus  pursued  our  route  with  all  possibh 
diligence. 

*  Lt!  Clercq  ii  p.  'HA.    Diacovery  ol  the  Misfiuippl,  p.  ITS. 

t,Le  Clercq,  11.  p.  286.  At  tlie  wnrd  8a-aconest  ii  there  explained  to  mwui  war  ciiea,  li« 

omitv  thc.Indlaii  word. 


^ 


THE   "nOUVKLI.K  DfiCOUVF.RTF,' 


351 


Wo  landed  very  lafc  nt  11  vlllaffc  on  the  bunk  of  the  river.  Tliey  told 
UM  afterwiinls  thiit  it  was  lliu  nali'>n  of  tlu'  Tan^iliao.  There  is  every 
reanon  h\  the  world  to  bflieve  that  these  Iu8i  Imd  been  Murpri.sed  by  thei'" 
enemlcK.  We  fonnil  in  liieir  cabinH  ten  men  killed  by  arrows.  This  com- 
pelled us  to  leave  their  vilhifje  jiroinplly  and  to  cross  the  river  always 
advancing  on  our  way  lo  the  great  channel.  We  cabined  aH  late  as  we 
could  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  we  promptly  built  a  fire  of  drlfl- 
wood  which  we  found  at  llie  wati.'r's  edge.  ^V^•  then  cooked  our  Indian 
corn  meal  and  seasoned  it  witii  hoiiciinnwl  meat,  after  pounding  it. 

On  tiic  25th  the  ten  Indians  killed  by  arrows  hiving  troubled  us  all 
night  long,  we  ctnliarked  at  the  (Irs!  Ijrcak  of  dayiiiid  aft(!r  a  sail  that  was 
even  longer  than  that  of  the  day  before,  w(i  arrived  at  a  i)oint  where  the 
river  divides  into  three  channels.*  W(!  passed  with  speed  through  the 
middle  one  which  was  very  be.uitifiil  and  very  deep.  Tlie  water  tliero 
«iut  brackish,  or  half  salt,  and  three  or  tour  leagues  further  tlown,  we 
found  it  entirely  salt.  Pushing  on  a  little  further  ntill,  we  (liscovered  the 
sea,  which  obliged  us  first  to  laud  on  tlie  east  of  tlie  river  .Meschasipi. 

Our  two  men  wi  re  e.xln'mely  afraid  o(  being  taken  by  the  Spaniards  of 
New  Slexico,  who  are  west  of  this  river.  They  were  in  strange  distress, 
and  every  nmnient  told  me,  that  if  unliai)p'.ly  they  should  bap|)en  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  t'le  Spaniards  of  this  continent,  they  would  never  see 
Europe  again.  I  did  not  t(^ll  ihem  all  that  I  thouglit  Our  religious  have 
twenty-five  or  thirty  provinces  in  Old  and  New  Mexico.  So  thali.'ven  if  I 
had  been  taken,  I  should  only  have  felt  consolation  and  joy  to  end  uiy  days 
among  my  brethren  in  so  charndng  a  country  as  this.  I  should  thus  inive 
been  guaranteed  from  a  world  of  ha/.ards  and  all  the  dangers  that  I  after- 
wards had  to  encounter.  1  would  even  inseMsibil)ly  have  spent  my  days 
laboring  for  my  salvation,  in  a  country  that  uniy  justly  be  called  the  dcliffht 
of  America  ;  but  the  extraordinary  trouble  of  our  men  made  lue  adopt 
another  resolution. 

I  do  not  jirofess  lo  l)e  a  matbemati<^ian.  However  I  had  learned  to  take 
altitudes  by  means  of  the  astrolabe.  Monsienr  de  la  Salle  was  careful 
not  to  trust  me  with  that  instrument  while  we  were  together,  because  he 
wished  to  reserve  to  himself  the  honor  of  everytldng.  Wc  have  however 
subsefiuently  ascertiiinc  d  that  this  river  Meschasipi  falls  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  between  the  27th  and  28th  degree  ofl.ititude  and  as  it  is  believed, 
in  the  place  where  nil  the  maps  place  the  Rio  Escondido,f  which  means, 

»  Le  Clercq,  il.  p.  -SB.    Di8C0»ery  of  the  MloBlBgippI,  p.  \14. 
t  Le  Clercq,  il,  p.  S38.    DlwoTery  of  be  MUriseippi,  p.  115. 


m^ 


<? 


/a 


// 


C>1 


> 


V 


y 


/^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT»3) 


1.0 


I.I 


Ir^    i"    IIIII2.0 

1.8 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


V 


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O 


{./ 


:/ 


Vs 


A 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

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6"     — 

► 

n  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


(p.- 


Q. 


\ 


3  5'^ 


VOYAGE   TO  THE   GULF  FROM 


I; 


M'«: 


Hidden  river.    The  river  Ma^ilaleim  is  between  tliis  river  luul  the  mines 
of  Santa  Barbara  in  >Jew  Mexieo. 

Tliis  month  of  ilie  Meseliiisipi  is  ;ib()ut  thirty  li  auues  distant  t'rom  tlic 
Rio  Binvo,  sixty  leaunes  Ironi  l';ilni;is,  80  to  100  from  tlie  llio  de  Paunco 
on  tiie  eousl  nearest  Ilie  Spiiiiis-h  ^.i^tllement s.  Aeeordiiig  to  this  we 
judj^ed  l)y  iiieiins  of  the  conii^Mss,  wliieli  lias  jdwiiys  l)een  very  necessary 
to  us,  duriuL'  our  whole  diseovery,  that  Espirilu  Santo  lay  is  north- 
east of  this  UKiiith. 

Duriuu'  all  our  route  I'mni  ll.e  luoulh  of  the  river  of  the  Illinois,  whieh 

enters  into  Jlesc  hnsipi,  we  ulmost  always  salkd  w>utli,  ami  southwest  to 

the  sea.     This  rivir  winds  in  various  pluces,  and  is  almost  always  a  league 

wide.     It  is  very   deep  and  has  no  sand  banks.     Xnihius  interferes  witli 

navif;ation,     ;id  even  ilie  largest  shii'.- nuirht  sail  into  it  without  dillieulty. 

It  is  estimated  that  this  river  runs  iiioie  than  eight  hundred  leagues  in  length 

inland  liuin  its  sonrie  to  ilie  sea,  eounliiig  the  bends  which  it  makes  as  it 

winds  along.     Its  iiiouth  is  more  llinn  tliree  hundred  and   forty  leagues 

from  tliat  ot  the  rivei  of  the  IlliiK  is.     In  tine  iis  we  have  sailed  from  one 

end  of  this  river  to  Ihf  other  on  our  nay  up,  we  shall  deseribe  its  source 

hereafter. 

The  two  men   wlio  aecoiii|)anied   iiu    lelt  greai  joy,  as  well  as  myself, 

at  having  cmdured  the  fatigue  of  our  voyage.  They  felt  however  dis- 
appointed that  they  had  not  amas.sed  furs  for  the  goods  which  wc  had 
hidden.  Moreover  they  were  in  constant  fear  of  being  tnkeii  by  the 
Spaniards.  Tlu-y  consequently  did  not  give  me  the  time  that  1  would  have 
desired  to  observe  tlie  place  exactly  where  wc  were.  They  would  never 
help  me  to  build  a  cabin,  whicli  we  might  have  covered  witli  dry  grass 
from  the  prairies.  My  design  was  to  leave  a  letter  there  written  with  my 
own  hand  and  sealed  to  make  it  hill  into  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the 
country.  This  obliged  me  *or  fear  of  irritating  th(un,  to  tell  them,  that 
we  would  use  all  possible  diligence  to  ascend  the  river  northward,  where 
they  would  easily  be  able  to  barter  their  goods.  I  made  tlieni  always 
hojie,  that  I  would  contribute  in  every  thing  to  their  success. 

All  that  I  could  obtain  of  tliem  before  going  up  the  Jle.schasipi  again 
was  that  they  should  square  a  tree  of  hardwood,  of  which  wc  made  a 
cross  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  which  we  then  planted  in  the  earth, 
which  fortunately  was  at  that  place  a  firm  clay.  To  this  wc  fastened  a  letl<'r 
with  my  name  and  that  of  tlu'  two  men  who  were  witli  me,  with  a  brief 
account  of  our  rank  and  the  object  of  our  voyage.  After  which  kneeling 
down  we  chanted  some  hymns  proper  for  our  design,  like  the  Vfxilla  lUgh 
and  others  and  then  we  set  out.* 

•  Le  Clercq,  II,  p.  237. 


I 


w;.. 


THF,  "nOUVF.LLE   DfiCO  iVERTF,' 


-»  r  -) 

.t  3 ."» 


During  the  slay  wliicli  we  made  at  tlic  mouth  of  Meschasipi.  \vc  did 
not  perceive  a  livinfrsmil.  Fleuce  W(!havc  not  lieen  able  to  know  whethc'" 
there  are  nations  thai  dwell  nn  thr  seashore.  We  8lei)t  during  that  time 
only  in  the  open  air,  as  during  all  the  rest  of  the  voyage,  when  it  did  not 
raiu.  But  during  the  rain  we  covered  ourselves  with  our  canoe,  which 
we  placed  bottom  up  on  fmir  stakes.  Then  we  fastened  to  it  birch  barks 
which  we  unrolled,  hanging  them  lower  down  than  our  canoe  to  shelter 
us  from  tlie  rain. 

AVe  set  out  at  last  on  the  first  of  .Spril  because  our  provisions 
began  to  diminish.  It  is  very  remariinble  that  during  all  this  voyage, 
God  hai)pily  for  us  preserved  us  from  the  crocodiles  whicli  are  tound  in 
abundance  in  this  river  Meschasipi,  espiicially  as  you  approa(th  the  sea 
They  are  nuich  to  be  dreaded,  when  one  is  not  carefully  on  his  guard- 
We  husbanded  our  Indian  corn  as  well  as  we  could  possibly,  because  the 
lower  river  is  extremely  skirted  by  canes  md  landing  there  is  very  incou- 
venieiit  Accordingly  we  durst  not  hunt,  because  that  would  have  made 
us  lose  too  much  time. 

However  our  canoe  being  loaded  only  with  a  little  provisions  and  some 
suudl  presents  drew  ordinarily  only  tW"  or  three  inches  of  water.  By 
this  means  approaching  the  land  as  near  as  possible,  we  avoided  the  cur- 
rents and  the  rajiidity  of  tlie  river.  We  used  such  diligence  in  cu'der  to 
avoid  being  surprised,  that  we  reached  the  village  of  the  Tangibao. 
But  because  we  had  always  borne  in  nund  tliose  dead  men  pierced  with 
arrows  whom  we  had  seen  in  tlusir  cabins,  on  i)assing  there  the  first 
time,  we  contented  ourselves  witli  eating  our  Indian  corn  meal  steeped 
in  water,  and  we  had  besides  that,  wild  bull  meat  boucanned  which  we 
dijiped  in  bear  oil,  that  we  kept  for  this  i)urpose  in  bladders,  in  order  to 
swallow  more  easily  this  dried  meal.  After  having  said  our  evening 
prayers,  we  sailed  all  night  with  a  great  piece  of  tinder  or  a  lighted  torch 
to  put  to  flight  the  crocodiles,  which  might  l)e  encountered  on  the  route, 
because  they  are  e\tremely  afraid  of  fire. 

The  next  day,  the  2nd,Michac'  Ako  at  daybreak  as  we  advanced  on 
our  route  called  our  attention  to  a  very  great  smoke  which  was  not  very 
far  from  tis.  We  believed  that  it  was  the  Quinipissa*  and  some  time 
after  we  perceived  four  women  loaded  with  wood,  who  redoubled  their 
steps  to  reach  their  village  before  us.  But  we  passed  tb(!in  by  dint  of 
rowing.  I  held  in  my  haiul  the  peace  calumet  which  the  Indians  liad 
given  us.     Our  Pieard  du  Quay  could  not  p'strain  himself  from  firing  a 

*  Le  Clercq,  ii,  p.  240.    Discovery  of  the  MisHtfotippi,  p.  176. 


«p 


354 


VOYAGE   TO  THE  GULF   FROM 


chnrge  of  his  gun  into  a  flock  of  wild  geese  which  showed  themselves  in 
the  reeds.  These  four  Indian  women  luiving  iienrd  the  report,  threw 
their  wood  on  tlie  ground,  and  beginning  to  run  with  all  their  might, 
arrived  nl  the  village  before  ns  and  filled  all  with  alarm 

The  Indian.-*  alTrighted  at  all  this,  because  thej'  had  never  seen  fire- 
arms, beean  to  flee.  They  thought  that  it  was  thunder,  not  understnnd. 
ing  how  it  could  be  done,  that  a  piece  of  wood  and  iron  which  they 
see  in  the  liands  of  Euroi)ean9  can  belch  out  fiie  and  go  kill  people  at  a 
great  distance.  Accordingly  these  savages,  'hough  all  armed  as  they 
were  in  their  fashion,  did  not  hesitnto  to  scamper  off  in  great  confusion. 
This  obliged  me  to  land,  and  show  the  pcaci;  valiimet,  which  was  the 
symbol  of  our  alliance  with  them.  We  then  ascended  into  tluir  village 
with  thern,  and  they  in'cparcd  us  a  renast  in  their  fashion. 

At  the  name  time  they  notified  their  neighbors  of  our  arrival.  As  we 
were  engaged  in  taking  our  meal  in  ilic  largest  of  their  apartments,  we 
saw  several  Indians  enter  in  file,  who  gave  us  all  the  iiearty  welcome 
that  they  coidd  conceive.  Our  two  men  had  well  nigh  remiiined  witli 
this  nation.  Nothing  but  the  goods  that  we  had  cached  obliue!  'hem  to 
leave  tills  tribe,  and  this  is  also  the  secret  motive  which  1  had  in  hiding 
them,  so  that  our  mm  should  think  only  of  performing  our  voyage. 
These  last  Indians  having  given  us  as  much  provisions  as  we  desired,  we 
left  them  after  making  them  some  presents. 

We  set  out  on  the  4th  of  April,  and  made  great  diligence  on  our  voyage, 
because  we  h;id  gained  strengtli.  Wc  arrived  at  the  Koroa.  These 
Indians  were  not  surpriseil  at  our  iinival  as  l hey  were  the  first  lime. 
They  received  us  in  a  very  extraordinary  ninimtr.  They  cinried  oiu' 
canoe  in  triumph  on  their  slioulders.  There  were  twelve  or  fifteen  men 
who  marched  before  us,  dancing  with  bouquets  ol  featbcrBin  tlieir  hands. 
All  the  women  of  the  village  followed  with  the  children  some  of  whom 
took  hold  of  my  cincture  of  white  wool,  which  I  wore  as  a  (;ord  of  St. 
Francis.  Others  caught  hold  of  my  cloak,  or  habit.  They  did  the  same 
to  our  two  men,  and  thus  they  led  us   to  the  apartment  set  apart  for  us. 

They  adorned  this  place  with  flag  mats,  painted  two  colors,  and  white 
blankets  spun  very  neatly  with  the  bark  of  a  ti'ce,  as  we  have  already  re- 
marked. After  we  had  satisfied  our  hunger  with  all  thiit  these  people 
presented  ti)  regale  us,  tbev  left,  us  at  liberty  to  repose  in  peace  and  refresh 
ourselves.  We  were  surprised  to  see  in  this  |)la('e  that  the  Indian  corn 
which  was  only  two  feet  from  the  ground,  when  we  passed  the  first  time 
•mong  this  people,  was  already  milky  and  fit  to  eat.    We  learned  by  the 


-^^^»H| 


THE   "nOUVFXLK  DECOUVERTE' 


355 


natioiisiinir,  of  their  climate,  tliat  tliis  corn  ripens  in  sixty  days.  We  also 
itniurlied  other  urain,  wliicli  wns  already  out  of  tlie  ijround,  and  three 
or  four  inches  hli^h. 

We  set  out  tVoiii  Koroii  the  next  day,  April  5tli,  and  if  I  could  have 
made  my  men  listen  to  ri'ason,  I  would  cerlainlj'  have  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  several  different  niiiioiis  which  live  on  the  south  side  of  this  river. 
But  tlunrouly  thought  was  to  reachlhenoftlurn  nations  to  pick  up  all  the 
furs  they  could  in  exchange  for  the  goods  which  they  had  left  below  the 
AkunsH.  (ireed  of  gain  carried  the  day,  and  I  was  constrained  to  follow 
them,  because  il  was  impossible  to  remain  alone  among  so  many  nations 
far  distant  from  Kuiope.  1  had  liicn  to  take  patience  and  keep  up  a  good 
countenance.  F(u-  all  the  efforts  which  I  made  to  persuade  them,  that 
the  public  good  should  be  preh'ned  to  the  advantage  of  individuals,  thcj' 
got  the  best  of  nie,  and  I  was  obliged  to  yield,  l)eing  unable  to  do  otherwise. 
We  were  not  able  lo  reach  tlie  Taensa,  till  April  7. 

These  Indians  had  already  received  couriers  who  had  notified  them  of 
our  coming.  'I'liis  caused  them  lo  summon  several  of  their  neighbors 
who  livcil  far  inland  on  the  east,  and  west,  in  order  to  get  some  of  our 
goods,  il  it  was  possible,  because  these  savages  never  can  weary  admiring 
them.  They  have  sent  some  lo  several  other  nations  more  remote,  with 
whom  they  arc  allied. 

They  used  every  effort  lo  retain  us  among  them.  They  offered  us  one 
of  their  best  lodges  foi-  our  use,  and  calumets  of  black,  red  and  jaspercd 
marble.  Bui  our  nu'u  had  their  hearts  set  on  the  spot,  where  they  had 
cached  their  goods,  so  thai  they  paid  no  regard  to  all  tlieir  offers.  They 
then  told  me  that  we  must  absolutely  set  out.  If  I  had  had  with  me  all 
that  was  necessary,  us  I  had  my  i)ortable  chapel,  I  should  have  remained 
among  these  good  people,  who  showed  nie  so  cordial  a  friendship.  But 
it  has  lonjr  since  been  said  that  our  companions  are  of^en  our  masters.  I 
was  then  oblijjed  ti)  follow  the  opinion  of  our  men. 

We  embarked  on  the  8tli  of  Ai)ril,  and  some  Taensa  came  to  escort  us 
iu  their  lightesl  periaguus,  because  they  could  not  paddle  fast  enough  to 
follow  our  bark  canoe  with  the  others.  Even  witli  all  the  efforts  that 
they  made  with  their  |Miles,  they  could  not  go  fast  enough.  Thus  they 
were  obliged  to  lot  vc  us,  and  let  us  go  on.  We  threw  tliem  two  fathoms 
of  .Martinique  lol)acco  to  oblige  them  to  remember  us,  and  these  Indians 
on  leaving  us  wondered  how  we  could  shoot  three  or  four  ducks,  with  a 
single  gun  shot,  which  made  them  utter  yells  and  cries  of  amazement. 
After  our  men  had  saluted  them  taking  o'f  their  hats  with  great  respect 


356 


VOYAGE  TO  THE  GULF   FROM 


:  ii 


!i 


they  redoubled  tlieir  ettbrts  at  llic  puddle  to  sliow  these  savagcn,  that  they 
were  ciipablc  of  doing  soiuethinj;  more  than  thcsy  liad  yet  seen  tliem  do. 

On  the  9th  we  arrived  at  the  Al<aiisa  ahoul  two  liom's  alter  sun  rise. 
It  seemed  to  us  that  alter  having  heen  received  with  so  niiieh  liumanity 
by  all  these  nations,  whieh  deserve  the  name  of  humane  rather  than  bar- 
barous nations,  from  their  wonderful  mildness,  we  had  no  ground  for  fear 
or  distrusi,  and  that  we  were  in  as  great  seciuily  among  them,  as  though 
we  had  traveled  through  the  cities  of  Ilollaiul,  in  which  there  is  nothing 
to  fear.  Yet  we  were  not  free  from  uiieasiniss,  when  we  came  to  the 
place  where  we  had  cached  the  goods  of  our  men.  The  Indians  had 
burned  the  trees  on  which  we  had  made  crosses  to  recognize  ihe  place  of 
our  cache.  At  first  our  two  men  turned  pale  from  fear  thai  their  treasure 
had  been  swept  away  li'om  llicm.  They  lost  no  time,  and  posted  in  haste 
to  the  spot  in  question. 

For  my  part  I  remained  on  lliebank  of  the  river  to  gum  over  our  canoe 
which  leaked  in  several  places.  The  Picard  dn  Guay  came  in  liasle  to 
seek  me  in  order  torejoice  withnie,  Ihat  they  had  found  the  cache  again  in 
good  condition.  He  told  me  witli  great  transports  of  joy,  iliat  all  was 
just  as  we  had  left  it.  Meanwhile  to  prevent  llie  Akansa  who  were  com- 
ing to  us  in  file,  from  seeing  our  men  while  busy  in  un(;(ivering  their 
goods,  I  took  the  peace  calumet  and  stopped  them  lo  smoke.  It  is  an  in- 
violable law  among  tlieni  to  smoke  on  such  an  occasion,  hecau.';e  if  one 
refused  he  would  nm  the  risk  of  being  massacred  by  Ihe  Indians  -ho 
have  an  extreme  veneration  for  the  calumet. 

While  I  amused  the  Indians  our  two  men  came  and  took  the  canoe, 
which  I  had  regummed  and  they  adroitly  replaced  in  it  the  goods  which 
they  had  taken  from  Iheir  cache,  and  then  they  came  lo  gel  uu' at  the 
place  where  I  was  with  the  Indians  1  entertaiiu'd  them  by  signs  marking 
my  thoughts  on  Ihe  sand,  wliich  I  en<leiivorcd  to  make  them  understand  in 
this  way.  I  did  not  understand  a  wonl  of  their  language  which  is  en- 
tiiely  different  from  that  of  the  nations  with  whom  we  had  conversed 
before  and  since  this  voyage. 

We  ascended  tlie  river  very  gaily.  We  advanced  by  dint  of  paddling 
with  such  celerity  that  the  Akansa  who  were  marching  by  land,  weru 
obliged  to  double  tlieir  steps  to  follow  us  One  among  them  more  alert 
than  the  rest,  ran  to  the  village  where  we  were  received  with  even  greater 
marks  of  joy  than  they  had  shown  the  tirsl  time.  All  this  was  done  on 
tlieir  part  with  a  view  of  profiting  by  our  goods,  which  pass  for  great 
riches  among  these  people. 


THE  "nOUVRLLR  D£C0UVRRTE' 


357 


It  would  be  UHClesu  lo  describe  all  the  circuiuatuuces  of  what  passed  in 
tlie  daiioes  and  leasts,  vvliicii  these  Indiana  gave  us.  Our  two  men  seeing 
that  they  could  not  enrich  tiieniselves  l)y  Iradiiij;  for  furs  with  tiiese 
people,  because  they  have  never  traded  with  Europeans,  and  do  not  care 
either  for  heaver  or  deer  skins,  of  whicli  lhey<lo  not  know  the  use,  pressed 
nie  to  j;()  witli  all  diligence  towards  thi'  nor; hern  nations,  where  they 
liopeil  to  (iiul  these  goods  in  plenty.  And  in  fact  the  Indiana  who  live 
near  the  source  of  the  river  Meschasipi,  were  hegining  to  go  and  trade  in 
the  direction  of  Lake  Superior,  union;;'  nations  wiiich  have  intercourse 
witli  Europeans.  We  left  marks  of  our  friendship  wilii  tlie  Akansa  by 
some  presents  wliicii  we  ma<le  them. 

We  set  out  the  Ist  of  April*  and  for  the  space  of  about  si.xty  leagues  said 
we  found  no  Chikacha  or  Messoriie  Indian.  Apparently  tliey  were  all  at 
the  liunt  with  tiieir  families,  or  jiorliaps  they  were  in  flight  for  the  fear 
wliich  they  had  of  tlu'  Nation  of  tlie  prairies,  who  are  called  Tintonlia  be 
the  inhabitants  of  these  countries.    These  are  their  swora  enemies. 

We  were  only  the  more  linpi)j'  during  our  route,  because  we  found 
plenty  of  game  every  wliere.  However  before  reaching  the  place  where 
the  river  of  tlie  Illinois  empties  into  the  said  river,  we  found  a  band  of 
Messorite  Indians,  wlio  were  coming  from  up  the  river.  IJntas  they  had  no 
periaguas  to  ciiiiu'  to  us,  we  crossed  to  the  other  bank  on  the  east  side  and 
or  fear  of  being  suiprised  during  the  night,  we  did  not  sinp  at  any  place. 
We  accordingly  contented  ourselves  with  eiitiiig  roast  Iiuliau  ci/rn  meat 
and  boucaniieil  meat,  liecausii  wo  ilurst  not  make  a  tire  for  fear  of  being- 
discovered  by  some  ambuscade  of  Indians,  wlio  would  undoubtedly  have 
massacred  us,  taking  us  for  enemies  before  they  could  recognize  us 
Tills  preciuition  made  us  liappily  avoid  the  danger,  which  but  for  that  we 
should  have  run. 

I  had  forgotten,  while  Isailed  on  the  river  Meschasipi  to  relate  wliat  the 
Illinois  hail  ollea  told  us,  and  wliicli  we  took  for  tales  invented  to  amuse. 
It  is  that  about  near  the|  sjjot  called  on  the  map  Cap  de  St.  Autoine,  very 
near  the  nation  of  the  Mcssorites,  Tritons  and  Sea  monsters  are  to  be  seen 
painted,  which  tlie  boldest  men  dare  not  look  at,  because  there  is  an  en- 
chantment and  something  supernatural  there.  These  pretended  frightful 
monsters  are  after  all  (Uily  a  Imrse  very  biidly  tainted  with  matacliia  of 
red  color,  and  snme  deer  daubed  by  the  Indians,  who  add  that  they  can- 
not be  reached.  But  if  we  had  not  been  pressed  to  avoid  being  surprised 
by  the  Indians,  it  would  have  been  easy  for  us  lo  toucli  them,  for  the  said 
Cape  of  St.  Anthony  is  not  so  steep  or  so  higli  as  the  cha  f  mountains, 
•  The  last  date  waB  tho  9th. 


'i 


358 


VOYAGF.  TO  THE  GULF   IROM 


1  f 


which  are  along  aide  the  fallti  of  81.  Anthony  ot  Ptuhiu,  which  is  ncp.r  the 
source  of  the  Meschnsipi.  These  savngos  acliled,  moreover,  that  tht  /ock 
wliere  tliese  monsters  were  pnintcd,  wiis  so  steep  Ihiit  passers  by  eoiiU'  not 
<;o  there.  And  in  tact  the  common  tradition  among  these  nations  is,  iliut 
there  were  formerly  several  Miands  drowned  in  this  place  on  the  river 
Meschasipi,  because  they  were  vigorously  pursued  by  tlie  Matsigamea. 
From  that  time  the  Indians,  who  pass  by  that  plaie,  are  accustomed  to 
giuoke  and  present  tobacco  to  these  puppets,  which  are  very  rudely  painted, 
and  this,  Ihey  say,  to  appease  the  Alanitou,  which  iucordiug  to  the  language 
oftlie  Algonquinsand  of  Acadie,  signifies  an  evil  spirit,  which  the  Iroquois 
call  Otkon,  which  is  a  kind  of  sorceiy  and  wicked  spirit,  whose  malignity 
tliey  igiu)re. 

While  I  was  at  Quebec  1  was  told  that  the  Sieur  Jolliel  had  formerly 
been  on  this  river  Meschasipi  and  thai  he  had  been  obliged  to  return  to 
Canada,  bccauae  he  had  not  beer  able  to  pass  beyond  these  monsters, 
partly  because  he  had  been  terriued  by  them,  and  partly  too  because  he 
feared  he  might  be  taken  by  the  Spaniards.  But  I  must  say  here,  that 
I  have  very  often  sailed  in  r  vanoe  with  the  said  Sieur  Jolliet  on  the  river 
St.  Laurence,  aiul  even  in  very  dangerous  times  <ui  account  of  the  higli 
winds,  from  which  liowever  we  fortunately  escaped  to  the  great  astonish, 
ment  of  all  the  world,  because  he  was  a  very  gooil  canoemau.  I  there 
had  occasion  to  ask  Idni  many  a  time,  whether  in  fact  he  hud  been  as  far 
as  the  Akansa. 

This  man  who  had  great  ctuisideration  for  the  .Jesuits  who  were  by  nation 
Normans,  (because  his  father  was  from  Normandy),  avowed  to  me  that  he 
had  often  heard  these  monsters  spoken  of  among  theOuttaoUats,  but  that 
he  had  never  been  as  far  as  that,  and  that  he  had  remained  among  the 
Ilurons  and  the  OuttaoUats  to  trade  in  beaver  and  other  pcllries.  But 
that  these  people  had  often  told  him  that  this  river  could  not  be  descended 
on  account  of  the  Spaniards,  whom  they  had  nuule  him  dread  extremely. 
I  have  given  great  credit  to  this  statement  of  the  Sieur  Jolliet,*  because 
in  fact  during  our  whole  route  on  the  river  Meschasipi,  we  found  no  mark, 
that  could  shew  us  that  the  Spaniards  are  in  the  habit  of  sailing  on  it, 
as  we  shall  show  in  our  second  volume. 

When  one  arrives  at  20  or  80  leagues  below  the  Maroa,  the  banks  of 
this  river  Meschasipi  are  full  of  canes  to  the  sea." 

•  At  DO  fact  i8  better  eetabliehed  than  the  voyace  ofMarquette  aud  Jolliet,  thiB  asser- 
tion that  Jolliet  disavowed  it,  wonld  have  to  come  from  nndoabted  autboritj  to  be 
credlt«d. 


I 


KTZ: 


T 


THR"N0UVF.LLF,    DfiCOUVRRTF,' 


359 


[Here  follow  general  observations  on  the  river,  the  prairies,  forests, 
nniiniils,  trees,  mines,  Indian  mnnuers,  pro8i)ects  for  missions,  pp.  295-310.] 

"  But  in  order  not  to  wear}'  the  ri  iider,  it  is  time  to  pursue  our  voyajie  to 
tlie  source  of  the  river  Mescliiisipi.  We  emlmrked  on  tlie  24tli  of  April 
and  the  Indian  corn  or  large  millet  failing  us  as  well  ns  the  bouennned 
meat,  we  liad  no  otlier  means  of  sudsistence  than  hunting  or  fishing. 
Deer  were  very  scarce  in  the  partF  where  wo  theu  were,  because  the 
Illinois  often  come  there  and  ruin  the  hunting.  Fortunately  we  found 
some  long  beaked  sturgeons,  of  wliich  I  shall  speak  licrcafter.  We  killed 
them  witli  blows  of  our  luitclirts  or  swords  fixed  in  liiiudlea  which  we 
used  on  the  occasion,  in  order  to  save  our  powder  and  lend.  It  was  then 
tlie  time  wlicn  thei<e  fish  s])awn,  and  they  are  usually  seen  approaching 
tlic  shore  of  the  river  in  order  to  spawn.  We  accfirdingly  easily  killed 
tluni  with  blows  of  axe  or  sword,  without  going  into  the  water  and 
because  we  killed  as  many  as  we  wished,  we  took  only  the  belly  and  the 
most  delicate  morsels,  and  left  the  rest. 

If  our  men  had  some  pleasure  in  this  abundant  fishery,  they  were 
on  the  other  linnd  in  great  fear  of  the  people  whom  we  liad  left  at  the 
fort  of  the  Illinois  or  Creveccrnr.  Although  we  were  still  more  than  a 
liundred  leagues  distant,  which  is  a  trifle,  on  account  of  the  great  speed 
that  is  made  with  bark  canoes,  they  feared  lest  some  of  the  ])e()j)Ie  from 
the  fort  should  come,  and  seeing  tlnU  tiiey  had  not  bartered  their  goods 
with  the  northern  nations,  might  seize  tiieir  effects.  I  proposed  to  them 
to  sail  by  night  and  to  cabin  by  day  on  the  island.s  with  wliicb  the  river 
is  filled,  and  which  we  might  find  on  our  way. 

The  river  is  all  full  of  these  islands,  especially  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  of  the  Illinois  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua  of  which  I  shall 
speak  hereafter.  This  expedient  succeeded,  and  in  fact  after  having  sailed 
during  tlie  whole  night,  we  found  ourselves  tar  enough  from  this  mouth 
approaching  the  north.  On  the  wliole  the  land  did  not  seem  to  us  so 
fertile  nor  the  woods  so  fine,  as  those  which  wu  had  seen  in  the  countries 
whicli  are  on  the  lower  part  «)t  I  he  river  Meschasipi." 


..! 


360 


.ACCOUNT  FROM   MARGRY. 


|l  ' 


)  ■(! 


ACCOUNT 

OK 

HENNEPIN  AND  THE  SIOUX. 

tKrom  Marnry  1,  p.  481  etc.J 
"  Tliey  were  ascciulinj,'  the  river  Colbert  or  jMiissisHipiii  willi  i;ruiit  pleasure 
ami  williout  any  obstacle  wlieti  on  tlic  lllb  of  April,  lOSO.  iliey  l)ebel(l 
tlieinselvcs  invested  by  a  hundred  or  hundred  and  Iwenly  Niidouessious 
wIki  descended  in  tliirty-three  canoes  to  make  war  011  the  Tcliatchakigoiias. 
Father  Louis  at  once  presented  them  the  eahiinet,  which  ihey  received, 
but  they  woidd  not  smoke  it,  w  hicb  is  a  mark  of  peace,  till  ntk'r  they  bad 
nnidethem  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  whither  tliey  pursued  tlicni 
with  loud  cries,  to  give,  according  to  tlieir  custom,  some  satisfaction  to 
their  dead. 

Nevertheless  these  savages  plundered  tli(;m  ol' some  goods  and  although 
Michael  Accault  made  tliem  a  present  ot  two  Ijoxes  of  goods,  liiey  carried 
them  off  to  their  village  to  which  they  returned,  Iliis  encounter  having 
unidethem  abandon  tlieir  voyage.  They  did  not  however  give  the  French, 
who  were  not  displeased  at  this  opportunity  to  continue  their  discoveries, 
any  otiier  ill  treatment  than  to  make  tliem  inarch  with  them  afoot  from 
the  great  river  for  fifty  leagues,  with  great  bardsliip  and  very  little  food. 
It  is  true,  nevertliele.ss,  tliat  on  approacliing  their  village,  ihey  divided  all 
the  goods  among  them,  half  by  consent,  Indf  by  force,  but  they  promised 
at  the  same  time  to  pay  for  them  ;  and  the  reason  of  this  violence  is  that 
this  baud  was  made  up  from  two  dillercnl  tribes,  the  more  remote  of 
which,  fearing  that  the  others  would  retain  all  the  goods,  when  thej'  got 
to  their  village,  determined  to  take  their  share  in  advance. 

In  fact,  sometime  aller  they  offered  a  part  of  tiio  payment  to  Michael 
Accault,  who  would  not  take  it  until  tliey  gave  liim  the  value  of  all  the 
goods,  and  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  does  not  doubt  but  that  these  Indians 
gave  him  complete  satisfaction.  They  also  stole  leather  Louis'  chapel, 
except  the  chalice  which  they  durst  not  touch,  because  seeing  it  shine, 
tliey  said  that  it  was  a  spirit  that  would  kill  them. 

This  treatment  made  the  Father  believe  that  they  wished  to  put  him  to 
death,  because  they  performed  several  ceremonies,  which  they  are  also 
accustomed  to  practice,  when  tliuy  intend  to  burn  their  enemies,  and 
Michael  Accault,  who  then  did  not  understand  their  language,  although 
he  knew  i^several  oiuers,  could  not  converse  with  these  Indians.  Never- 
theless they  left  the  Fritnchmen  al  perf  cl  libeity  in  theii  village. 

Three  months  after  they  went  with  the  Indians  on  a  biillalo  hunt  along 


[4^ 


^m 


ACCOUNT  BY  LA  SALLE. 


361 


tlio  riviH-  Colbort,  aljoiit  iTiO  len},'Ufis  from  tlicir  villagf,  wliere  they  met 
the  Sieiirdii  Liitli,  who  was  f;"in,^;  to  tho  Na(h)Ucssi()us,  under  tlie  guid- 
ance of  a  soldier  of  the  8ieurde  La  Halle  nanwx]  Fuffurt,  who  Imd  deserted 
from  FortFroiitcuac.  'IMicv  wcnlui)a;j;!iiii  idl  togetlierlo  the  villageof  the 
Nadoucssious,  wh(!i(!  liioy  reimdned  alwut  lour  moutiis,  and  at  last  tliey 
all*  ruturnod  to  Canada  by  the  river  Ouisoonsing  and  l)y  tlie  Ray  of  tlie 
Puans. 

During  the  stay  of  Fiilhcr  Louis  and  llie  two  Frenclimau  among  tlie 
Niulouessious,  they  saw  Indians  come  ns  ambassadors,  who  lived  nearly 
fiOO  leagues  to  the  westward,  and  they  ascerliiined  that  tlie  AsHinipoualac, 
who  are  seven  or  eight  days  journ(;y  from  llic  Sioux  to  the  northwest 
ward,  and  all  the  other  nations,  who  are  known  to  the  west  and  north- 
west live  in  immense  prairies,  where  there  arc  quantities  of  wilil  cattle 
and  peltry,  and  wlicie  they  are  somelimes  forced  to  make  fire  with 
butfalo  dung,  for  want  of  wood.'' 


ACCOUNT 


HENNEPIN'S     EXPLORATION     IN    LA    SALLE'S 
LETTER  OF  AUGUST  22,  1862. 

[l''rom  Margry,  11,  p.  845.] 

The  river  Colbert,  called  by  the  Iroquois  Gastacha,  by  the  Outaouas 
Mississipy,  into  which  the  river  of  tlie  Illinois,  called  Teakiki,  empties 
flows  from  the  northwest.  I  caused  it  to  be  ascended  by  a  canoe,  con- 
ducted by  two  of  my  men,  one  named  Michael  Accault,  and  the  other 
Picard,  wliom  the  Rev.  Father  Louis  Hennepin  joined,  not  to  lose  the 
opportunity  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  nations  that  dwell  above,  and 
who  had  never  yet  heard  it  sjjoken  of.  They  started  from  Fort  Crevecceur 
on  the  28th  of  February  in  the  evening,  with  a  peace  calumet  which  is  a 
safeguard  that  the  Indians  of  these  parts  rarely  violate.  The  said 
Michael  Accault,  was  tolerably  versed  in  their  languages  and  manners. 
He  knew  all  their  customs  and  was  esteemed  by  several  of  these  nations 
among  whom  I  Imd  already  .sent  him,  where  he  succeeded  completely. 
He  is  moreover  prudent,  brave  and  cool.  They  had  about  a  thousand 
livres  worth  of  the  goods  most  esteemed  in  these  paita,  which  accom- 

*  Accault  did  not  return. 

27 


I 


< 


I 


'J         i 


362 


ACCOUNT  OF  HENNEPIN 


piwiicil  by  tlie  ])cii(o  ciilunu'l  iiro  uover  rcfiisoil  by  theeo  kind  of 
people  wlio  need  evt'iyiliins;.  Tlicy  first  met  a  number  of  Islinojs  ascend" 
ing  their  river  Id  reiieli  tluir  villajie,  wlio  used  every  ofTorl  to  induce  tliem 
to  turn  l)ack.  Jliclmcl  Acdiull  wlio  deeniid  liis  iinnor  pledged  to  curry 
out  tiie  enterprise,  nnimiited  liy  tlie  example  of  Fiillier  Louis  Hennepin^ 
who  iilso  desired  to  signiilize  bis  zeol,  mid  idpowisliing  to  keep  the  promise 
lie  liiul  niiidu  me  to  pciisli  or  succeed,  eiuouriigeil  Ids  eomriulc,  wlio  was 
wavering  iit  the  words  ol  llie  Indians,  iind  mude  him  see  that  the  olijeet  of 
the  Islinois  was  to  get  li{)ld  of  their  goods  uiul  de|>rive  their  ueigldiois  of 
them,  mid  thalthis  should  not  change  the  resolution  which  (ii.'y  had  taken. 
In  tiict  lliey  continued  their  way  along  the  river  Theakiki  till  tlie  7th  of 
March,  1680,  when  two  leagues  from  its  monlli,  by  which  it  empties  into 
the  Colbert,  they  met  a  nation  ealled  'i'liiiuuoa  or  Maroa,  to  the  numb(^r  of 
two  imndred  families  or  thereabout,  who  wished  to  take  them  to  their 
village,  which  then  lay  on  the  west  side  of  the  (Ireiit  river,  six  or  seven 
leagues  below  the  month  of  the  Theakiki.  Thiiv  refused  to  follow  them 
and  arrived  the  same  day  at  tlii!  coiilluenco  of  these  two  rivers,  about  fifty 
leagues  distant  from  Fort  Crevecfrur,  and  ninety  from  t\w  village  of  the 
Islinois.  The  river  Trakiki  is  idniost  always  of  uniform  width  during 
these  nini'ty  leagues,  approaching  the  widlli  of  the  Seine  before  Paris,  that 
iswhiireit  is  conflne(l  to  its  bed;  but  in  various  place,  as  at  Pimiteoui, 
one  league  east  of  Creveco>-  and  at  two  or  three  other  points  lower 
down,  it  widens  out  to  a  league  or  two,  and  in  many  places  where  the 
two  high  grounds,  which  skirt  it  from  the  Islinois  village  down,  recede 
for  about  a  half  a  league  from  each  other,  the  ground  which  they  leave 
between  them  is  marshy  .and  often  overflowed,  especially  after  the  rains 
which  easily  cause  these  rivers  to  leave  their  channels, and  swell  them  to 

*Thi»  extract  iR  Klveii,  SH  il  was  writuii  M  Fort  Krontoimc  in  lti,Si,  while  Hennepin 
was  In  France  preparini;  liin  boolt  lor  |iiil>!ir>ition,  anil  niui't  have  hi'on  hased  on  reports 
from  llonnepin  or  Accanlt.  It  recoijnizcH  Hi'iinepin'x  discovery  and  maintains  hiis 
priorlly  over  Dn  Lhiit,  but  like  the  Mart'ry  Relation  tries  to  show  that  the  party 
were  not  prlnonerH.  Yet  all  the  Btotemcnis  are  bailed  on  Information  derived  from 
HoiiiKipln.  there  bclnu' proof  that  he  wroli!  to  Lii  Salle,  and  no  evidence  that  Accanlt 
did  or  conld  write.  Yet  the  priority  of  exploration  of  Ihii  HUnix.  country  helon'fs  to 
neittu  r.  The  ,)esuiti<  in  their  Kelal  ion  of  KMO-ipeak  of  the  NidoucKia  an  known.  Uaym- 
bault  nod  .lognes  (Relation  10421  indicate  the  route  to  their  country  by  way  of  l,ake 
Superior  anil  St.  LouIh  river.  During  the  winli'r  ol'  KiWl-fiO  de  Oioaeliliers  and  another 
Frenclinian  visited  their  country  and  itti  forty  vUlaKUB.  Rel.  IWUl  :  .lournal  dop 
JiJBUiteii,  p.  2S7;  Charlevoix,  Hiet.  New  Krnuce,  3  p.,  48  n.  See  also  pp.  HSOl.  Hen- 
oepin  curiouuly  enough  protusses  to  have  known  this  pioneer  explorer  ot'  Dakota  land. 
Voy.  au  Nord,  v,  p.  849. 


FROM  LA  SALLE'S  LETTER. 


363 


iin  exliaorilinary  degree,  imd  ot'ton  more  tliiiii  a  pikehigli.*  The  IsliiiolB 
river  from  their  village  to  tlic  Great  river  liaa  a  very  deep  and  even  bed. 
It  is  skirted  l)y  woods  ulinost  nil  llic  way,  all  llie  luaislies  jjroducing  very 
large  trees  of  all  kinds,  and  tin;  slopci  of  the  hills  is  usually  covered ;  but  once 
you  cross  the  lands  overflowed  by  the  river  from  time  to  time,  and  ascend 
the  hills,  you  find  nothing  but  beautiful  plains  further  than  the  eye  can 
reach,  dotted  here  and  their  with  tufts  of  wouil,  whicli  seem  to  be  there 
only  because  needed.  These  clearings  f  extend  in  many  places  to  the  river 
shore,  especially  ■  ";ir  the  village,  anil  about  sixty  leagues  east  and  north- 
east, where  wnoi;.- arc;  very  rarely  Necn  along  the  bank,  which  is  more 
uniformly  skirted  by  woods  as  you  descend.  The  current  is  scarcely  per- 
ceptible wlien  there  have  been  no  heavy  rains,  except  in  spring,  it  is  very 
navigable  however  at  all  limes  for  the  largest  barks  up  to  the  Islinoisln- 
dlauB,  and  above  only  lor  canoes,  botii  on  account  of  the  rapidity  of  the 
water,  and  the  snuill  (juantity  at  several  places  where  the  rapid  slope  and 
the  bars  prevent  any  dejith. 

The  ico  which  came  down  the  (ircat  river  stopped  them  at  the  mouth 
of  ll';-  Islinois  till  the  13th  of  March.  On  the  south  side  it  washes  a  steep 
rock  'vboul  forty  feet  high  adaiHeil  lor  building  a  fort,  and  on  the  otiier 
side  it  v.'aters  a  beautiful  prairie,  of  wi>ich  the  end  cannot  bo  discerned, 
very  sui.rble  for  cultivation.  This  place  seems  to  me  the  most  suitable 
of  all  to  settle,  for  many  reasons  which  I  have  not  time  to  deduce  here, 
and  I  sb.tll  be  able  to  make  a  post  there  as  I  return  from  my  voyage. 

From  there  to  Piniiteoui  the  livei'  runs  almost  south,  so  that  its  mouth 
is  between  40  and  47'  north  laiituile,  and  about  130  or  130  leagues  from 
the  north  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  From  Quebec  to  Montreal  there 
is  about  43  leagues  difference  east  and  west;  from  Montreal  to  Fort 
Frontenac  01  leagues  ;  from  the  fort  to  Niagara,  05;  from  Niagara  to  the 
end  of  Lake  Erie  133 ;  from  there  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  Miamis 
117;  thence  to  the  Islinois  53;  thence  to  Piniiteoui  or  Crevecoeur  37;  from 
Creveco;ur  to  Mississipi  16,  whicli  makes  about  500  leagues,  eijual  to 
about  24°  of  longitude.  The  Mississipi,  going  down,  appears  on  leaving 
the  Teatiki,  to  run  soulli  southwest,  anil  ascending  north  northwest;  it 
runs  between  two  cliams  of  pretty  high  mountains,  much  higher  than 
Mont  Valerien,  which  wind  like  the  river,  from  which  they  aometimcs 
recede  a  little,  leaving  moderate  praii'ies  between  them  and  its  bed,  and 
sometimes  they  are  bathed  by  the  waters  of  the  river,  so  that  while  on  one 


*Tlie  pike  was  13  fuel  loug. 
t  Deierti  still  used  in  Cauada 


tills  sense. 


f 


J'/ 


!l^' 


^p^ipi 


■■ 


;  ij 


36+ 


ACCOUNT  OF  HENNEPIN 


it  «; 


*i 


■!     I        ! 


Vn 


8ide  it  is  bordered  by  the  spur  of  a  mountain,  it  forniB  on  the  other  a  bay, 
the  end  of  which  is  met  by  a  prairie  or  a  woody  plateau.     The  slope  of 
these  hills,  which  are  either  of  gravel  or  stone  is  covered  from  time  lo 
time  with  dwarf  oalcs  or  i:i  other  places  with  very  small  plants.   The  top  of 
the  mountains  icveals  plains  of  very  jioor  land,  very  different  from  that 
amon^  the  Islinoi:*,  but  wliich  is  pastured  by  the  8;ui\e  animals.      The 
channel  of  thi.s  great  river,  almost  every  where  one  or  two  leagues  wide, 
is  dotted  all  along  by  a  number  of  islands  covered  with  open  woods,  in- 
terlaced by  so  many  vines  thai  tlicy  can  be  traversed  onlj'  with  diftlcuUy 
They*  are  subject  to  inundation  in  llie  frrsliets.     They  ordinarily  con- 
ceal  the  sight   of  the  other  bank,  wliich  is  only  rarely  discerned,    on 
account  of  these  islands.     The  bottom  is  very  unequal  as  you  ascend  above 
the  river    ol    the  Islinois.     You  often  meet  shoals  which   traverse  the 
channel  friim  one  side  to  the  other,  over  which  canoes  find  it  difficult  to 
pass.     It  is  true  that  when  the  waters  are  high,  it   is  every  where  deep 
enough  for  the  largest  vessels  to  puss,  but  tbecnncnts  are  then  extremely 
impetuous  and  diflicult  to  stem  with  sails.     The  Mississipi  receives  no 
considerable  rivers  on  the  west  side  from  the  river  of  the  Islinois  to  the 
country  of  the  Nadouesiou.v,  e.vcept  that  of  the  Oioutantas  Paote  un<l 
Maskoutens,  Nadouesionx  on  the  east  side,  and  about  one  hundred  leagues 
from  Teakil:' 

Hy  foUowujg  tlie  windings  of  tlie  Mississipi  you  find  the  river  Ouiscon- 
sing,  Misconsinjr,  or  Meachetz  Odi'ba,f  which  conu's  fVoni  between  the 
Bay  of  the  Piians  and  the  (heal  Kiver.  Il  flows  at  first  from  north  to 
south  till  about  45  n.  latitude,  and  then  turns  west  and  west  southwest, 
and  afier  a  course  of  si.xty  leagues  falls  info  the  Jlississipi.  It  is  almost 
as  large  as  that  of  the  Islinois,  navigable  to  this  elbow,  and  perhaps  above, 
wliere  the  portage  of  canoes  is  made,  across  an  oak  swamp}:  and  a 
drowned  prairie  to  reach  the  river  Kakaling  which  falls  into  the  Bay  of 
the  Fuans.  Misconsing  flows  between  tv.o  hills  whi"h  recede  from  time 
to  time  and  leave  between  them  and  tlu;  river  pretiy  large  prairies  and 
open  ground  sandy  and  not  very  fertile.  At  other  places  the  plateau 
which  is  between  tlicse  liills  and  the  river  is  in  spots  lower  and  marshy, 
and  then  it  is  covered  with  wood  and  inundated  in  the  overflow  of  the 
river.  The  mountains  diminish  insensibly  in  proportion  as  you  ascend 
the  river,  and  at  last  abuut  thiee  leagues  from  the  ))ortage,  the  ground 
becomes  flat  and  is  marshy,  uncovered  on  the  portage  side,  and  covered 

*  Down  to  "  aatiD  "  not  to  Ileunepin. 
t  Not  in  Hennepin. 
%  Obaiinfie. 


t 


mm 


FROM  LA  SALLE'S  LETTER. 


365 


with  pines  on  the  otlier.  The  i)lace  where  the  canoes  are  transported  is 
marked  by  a  tree,  wliore  there  are  two  *  grossly  painted  by  the  Indians 
whonci!  nftor  having  niarchcu  nboi.t  lialf  a  league,  yon  lind  the  river 
Kakaling,  whioli  is  only  n  strea.ii  iliat  rises  in  the  marshes,  whore:*, 
meanders  extremely  and  forms  little  lakes,  often  widening  and  narrowing 
You  follow  it  ahout  forty  leagues,  following  the  turns  which  it  makes, 
tlien  you  come  to  tlu>  village  of  the  Outaganiis.  Haifa  league  from  the 
river  on  the  north  side  before  arriving  there,  lli<  river  falls  into  a  lake 
wliich  may  l)e  eight  leiigues  long  and  three  leagues  wide,  and  aftt  r  having 
passed  the  village  about  two  leagues,  you  find  the  rapids  called  Kakaling, 
difficult  to  descend  on  account  of  the  rapidity  of  the  water,  the  quantity 
of  rocks  found  there,  and  three  fulls  where  the  canoe  and  its  loud  must  be 
carried.  They  last  six  leagues,  iiiidliuee  leagues  lower  down,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  Ibis  river  in  the  Bay  of  the  Puans,  is  a  house  of  the  Jesuits,  who 
liave  truly  the  key  of  the  country  of  Castorie,f  where  a  brother  blacksmith, 
whom  they  have  and  two  companions  convert  more  iron  into  beaver  than 
tlic  Fathers  do  Indians  into  Christians.^ 

At  about  28  or  '24  leagues  north  or  northwest  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Ouisconsing,  wliidi  has  also  a  rock  on  llie  south  side  and  a  beautiful 
prairie  on  the  north  side,  near  three  beautiful   basins  or  bays  of  still 
water,  you  find  Black  River,  called  by  the  Nadouesioux  Chabadeba,  by 
no  means  huge,  the  juontli  of  which  is  lined  by  alders  on  both  sides. 
Ascendii'g  about  thirty  leagues  almost  always  towards  the  same  point  of 
the  compass,  you  meet  lUiirido  river  as  wide  at  its  mouth  as  the  Islinois. 
It  is  called  by  this  name  on  account  of  the  number  of  these  animals  found 
there;   it  lias  been  followed  ten  or  twelve  leagues,  where  it  is  always 
even  and  free  from  rapids,  lined  by  mountains,  which  recede  from  time 
to  time  to  form  ])raines.     There  are  several  islands  at  its  mouth,  which  is 
lined  by  woods  on  botii  sides.    Thirty-eight  or  (oity  leagues  above,  you 
tind  the  river  by  which  th(!  SIcnr  Du  I.ulh  descended  to  the  Mississippi. 
He  had  be(Mi  for  tliree  yi  ars  contrary  to  orders  on  Lake  Superior  with  a 
band  of  twenty  roxrcuvK  tie  boin  ;  he  ha<l  carried  it  boldly  tliere,  armounc- 
ing  every  wlufre  that  at  the  head  of  these  braves  he  did  not  fear  the  Grand 
Prevost  and  tli;\t,  Ik;  would    compel    them   by  force   to   grant  him  an 
amnesty.    The  coureurixk  hoi*,  whom  he  was  tin;  first  to  induce  to  raise 
the  mask  h.ive  been  and  have  n  turned  to  the  settlements  several  times, 
•  Not  ill  Ileiuicpln. 
+  BcaMTlnnd. 

t  Little  of  tills  iB  la  II  nuoplii ;  ami  It  is  somewhat  iinKoncroiiB  In  La  dalle  after  the 
Jeeulte  hud  trfvcn  hospitulitj  to  two  cf  lil»  party,  MembrS  and  ncnnepln. 


ill 


I  i 


llll 


I 


r^  'ii 


r'  '■' 


i\    I 


366 


ACCOUNT  OF  HENNEPIN 


loaded  with  goods  nnd  peltries,  of  wliii'li  (lui'in;^'  that  tiim;  tlicy  (litiincil 
Lnke  Superior,  every  aveiine  of  which  iliey  bcsii^ired.  iind  this  year  they 
liMve  prevented  the  Otitaouiics  from  desocmliiig  to  Mont  real, 

At  that  time  and  while  he  was  on  Lake  Bnperior,  the  Nadonesioux, 
invited  by  the  presents  whicli  iIk;  lat(!  Sieiir  Uandin  luul  nHid('  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Count  de  Frontcnac,  and  the  SiuitciirH  wli"  arc  tlie 
Indiana  who  bring  most  peltries  to  Montreal  and  who  dwell  on  Lake 
Sniierior,  wishing  to  obey  tlie  lepeiiteil  commands  of  my  said  Lord 
Count,  negotiated  a  ])eMC(!  to  unite  the  nation  of  the  Sauteurs  to  tlie 
French,  and  go  to  trade  in  thecounlry  of  the  Nadonesioux,  about  sixty 
leagues  distant  west  of  Lake  Superior.  Du  Lulli  In  cover  his  desertion 
took  this  occasion  to  give  him  some  color,  and  passed  himself  dir  v.'itli 
two  of  his  deserters  for  an  envoy  of  the  Count, "and  eulni.sted  with  his 
orders  to  negotiate  this  peace,  during  which  liis  (iomradcs  negotiated 
beaver  still  better.  There  were  many  t.'onferenees  witli  the  Nadouisioux 
and  as  he  liad  no  interpreters,  he  debauched  one  of  mine  named  Faflart, 
then  a  soldier  at  Fort  Frontemie.  At  last  the  Sauteurs  having  visited 
the  Nadonesioux  several  times  and  returned,  and  the  Nadonesioux 
the  Sauteurs,  seeing  Unit  there  was  nothing  to  lear,  and  that 
he  could  increase  the  number  of  his  beaver,  he  sent  this  Fatfari  by 
land  with  some  Nadonesioux  and  Sauteurs  who  were  returning  togciher. 
On  his  return  this  young  man  having  made  him  a  report  of  the  quantity 
of  beaver  that  he  might  have  in  that  part,  he  resolved  to  endeavor  to  go 
there  himself  and  led  by  a  Sauteur  and  a  Nadonesioux  and  four  French- 
men, they  iiscended  the  river  Nemitsakouat,  whence  after  a  short  portage; 
ho  descended  into  this  one,  where  he  says  that  he  passed  more  than 
forty  leagues  of  rapids,  and  having  seen  that  the  Nadonesioux  wen; 
lower  down  with  my  people  and  the  Father,  who  had  descended  again 
from  the  village  of  the  Nadonesioux  wliere  th<y  had  already  been,  he 
came  in  seareh  of  thimi.*  He  mounted  again  to  the  village  whence  they 
descended  again  all  together,  ascended  by  the  river  Ouisconsing,  and 
thence  he  came  down  again  to  Mmitreal  aa  jiroudly  as  he  had  set  out,  having 
even  insulted  the  commissaries  and  the  substitute  for  the  Procurator  Gene- 
ral, named  d'Auteuil,  now  actually  Procurator  General.  The  Count  de 
Frontcnac  had  him  arrested  and  held  as  a  prisoner  in  the  castle  of  Quebec, 
intending  to  send  him  to  France,  on  charges  made  by  the  Intendaut, 
unless  the  amnesty  granted  to  the  coureurs  de  bois  should  cause  his 
discharge. 

•  Hennepin  mittes  their  meeting  July  a6,  1B80. 


11 


' 


FROM  LA  SALLE'S  LETTER. 


367 


To  know  what  the  said  Du  Lutli  is,  it  is  necessarj'  only  to  iiuiuire  of 
Mr.  Dalera.     Neveithiiless  lie  pretends  (o  have  made  an  ini;'ortant  dis- 
covery, and  to  ask  tliis  country  iia  (huvin;;)  the  advantage  of  the  lalinois, 
whicli  is  amuning  enough  that  he  hopes  a  reward  lor  his  rebellion.     In 
the  second  place  there  are  only  three  ways  to  go  there,  one  by  Lake 
Sui^erior,  tiiootlier  by  the  Hay  of  the  T^uaus,  the  third  by  the  Islinois  and 
the  lands  of  my  commission.    Tiie  two  former  are  suspicious,  and  it  would 
not  be  necessary  to  open  the  third  to  liim  to  my  disadvantage,  he  having' 
incurred  no  expense,  and  having  gained  much  witliout  risk,  while  I  have 
underg(me  great  hardships,  perils  and  losses  ;  and  by  the  Isliuois  there  is 
a  circuit  of  three  hundred  leagues  for  him  to  make.   Moreover  the  country 
of  th '  Nadouesioux  is  not  a  country  which  he  has  discovered.     It  has 
been  long  known,  and  the  Rev.  Father  Hennepin  and  Alichael  Accault 
were  there  before  him.    The  (irst  one  indeed  of  his  fellow-deserters  who 
readied  it,  having  been  one  of  my  soldiers  whom  he  seduced.     Moreover 
this  country  is  uniiiiinbitahk',  unlit  for  cultivation,  there  being  nothing  but 
marshes  full  of  wil  '.  rice  on  w  liich  these  nations  live,  and  no  benefit  can 
be  derived  from  this  discovery,  wlietlier  it  is  ascribed  to  my  people  or  to 
Du  Lulh,  because  1  he  rivers  thi're  are  not  navigable.    But  tlie  King  having 
granted  ub  trade  in  buffalo  skins,  it  vfM  be  ruined  by  coming  and  going 
to  the  Nadouesioux  liy  any  other  route  than  the  Lake  Superior  one, 
through  which  the  Count  de  Fronlcnaccun  send  to  obtain  beaver,  accord- 
ing to  the  power  which  he  has  to  ;>'ant  Coiigis.     But  if  they  go  byOuis- 
coiising,  where  they  make  tlieir  hiijalo  hunt  in  siunmer,  and  wliere  I  have 
begun  a  post,*  tlie  coiir.nerce  will  be  ruined  on  which  alone  I  rely  from 
the  great  number  of  bullalo  killed  there  every  year,  beyond  what  can  be 
believed. 

Still  ascending  the  Mississippi,  twenty  f  leagues  above  this  river,  you 
find  the  falls  which  those  whom  I  had  sent,  and  wiio  first  reached  there, 
have  named  St.  Antliony's.  It  is  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  and  the  river  ■ 
is  narrower  there  than  elsewhere.  There  is  an  island  in  the  middh'  of 
the  lall,  and  the  two  banks  of  the  river  are  no  longer  skirted  by  mountains, 
wliich  descend  insensibly  to  that  point ;  but  tlie  ground  on  both  sides  is 
covered  with  open  woods  as  we  call  them,  that  is  to  say  oaks  and  other 
hard  woods  planted  far  apart,  which  grow  only  on  poor  soil.  There  are 
also  some  prairies.      Canoes  are  carried  there  tor  about  three  or  four 

*  This  Is  a  positive  statement,  but  Is  it  true  ?    Whore  did  La  Salle  begin  a  eettlement 
on  the  Wisconsin  ? 
t  Hennepin  saye  10  or  12;  the  Ruliition  Margry,  p.  480,  has  SO. 


>l 


1* 


368 


ACCOUNT  OF  HHNNEi'IN 


I,   I 

■1 


hundred  paces;  iiiul  fiiplit  le.ij^uos  above  yoii  fiiul  on  the  wost  side  the 
river  of  tlie  Nndonesionx,  narrow  ut  its  month,  and  whicli  waters  a 
wretched  land  covered  willi  tni.slii'3  for  altoiit  fifty  leai^ues,  at  the  end  of 
which  i*  ends  in  a  hike  called  Ihe  L;il<e  <if  the  Issati,  which  spreads 
into  great  marshes,  in  wliicli  wild  lite  groA\s.  Towards  the  moutli  of 
thh  river  the  iMississipi  comes  from  tlie  west,  bnt  it  hiiB  not  been 
folh)wed  on  netonnt  of  an  acv'idi.'nt  which  helcl  the  Kev.  Father 
Lonis,  Michael  Accault  and  his  comrade.*  The  thing  took  phice 
in  this  way.  After  having  saiii'd  along  Ihe  Mississipi  till  the  11th 
of  April,  ahont  tliiee  o'clock  in  the  aflevnoon,  paddling  along  the 
shore  on  the  Illinois  side,  a  hand  of  a  hundred  Nadonesioux  warriors, 
who  were  coming  for  the  purpose  of  killing  some  Tchatclmkigoiia  de- 
scended the  same  river  in  thirty-three  hirch  bark  cnnoes.  Theref  were 
with  tliem  two  women  and  one  of  lh(is(!  wietches  who  serve  as  women 
althongh  they  are  men,  whom  the  Lslinois  call  Ikoneta.  They  passed 
along  and  beyond  some  islands,  and  several  canoes  had  already  descended 
below  that  of  the  Frenclanen.  Having  perceived  it,  Ihey  all  gathered, 
and  those  which  had  )>assed,  paddling  up  with  all  their  might,  easily 
blocked  their  way.  Tliore  was  a  part  on  land  which  invested  thorn  on 
that  side.  Michael  Accault  who  was  the  conductor,  had  the  ctdumet 
presented  to  them.  They  received  it  and  smoked  alter  having  made  a 
circle  on  land  covered  with  straw,  in  wliich  they  made  the  Frenchmen 
sit.  Immediately  two  old  men  began  to  Ix^wail  the  death  of  those  relatives, 
whom  they  intended  to  avenge;  and  after  having  taken  s(mie  tobacco, 
they  made  our  people  ( mhark  and  cross  first  to  tli(^  other  side  of  Ihe  river. 
They  followed  them  after  giving  three  yells  and  paddling  Avith  all  lluir 
might.  On  landing  Michael  Acc^ault  made  Iheni  a  jin  sent  of  twenty 
knires  and  a  fathom  and  a  half  of  tobacco,  which  they  accepted.  They 
had  already  stolen  a  half  pike  and  somi-  other  trifle.  They  then  marched 
ten  days  together  without  showing  any  mark  of  discontent  or  ill  will,  bnt 
on  the  22d  of  Ajjril,  having  reached  islands  where  they  had  killed  some 
Maskoutens,  they  put  the  two  dead  men  whom  they  were  going  to  a\enge 
and  whose  bones  they  carried  with  them,  between  Father  Louis  and 
Michael  Accault.  It  is  an  equivocal  ceremony  which  is  done  to  friends 
to  excite  their  compassion,  and  obtain  presents  lo  cover  them,  and  to 

•  ThU  geems  to  make  th«m  captured  above  St.  Anthony's  Falls  while  II«ane|)iii  sajs 
that  after  saillDg  Dinotoen  days  up  the  river  with  thn  Indians  thoy  reached  a  pohit  five 
leagaea  below  the  falls. 

t  Sentence  not  In  Hennepin. 


[f 


FROM  LA  SALLES  LETTER, 


369 


slaves  wlio  nro  taken  in  war  to  give  tlirm  to  uiide'^tand  that  they  must 

expect  to  be  treated  ms  tlic  deceased  was.     Michael  Aecaiilt  nnfortuiintcly 

did  not  undeistand  this  nation,  and  there  was  not  a  single  slave  of  the 

other  nations  whom  he  understood,  which  scarcely  ever  hapjicns,  all  the 

nations  in    America  having  a  ninnhcr  ol  those  whose  lives  they  spare  hi 

order  to  replace  their  dead,  alter  liavinf:  sacriticed  a  great  many  to.thenj 

to  appease  their  vengeance.     Asa  result  of  this,  one  can  make  himself 

understood  by  almost  all  nations,  whfu  he  knows  three  or  four  languages 

of  those  who  go  fnrihest   in  war,  such  as  the   Iroquois,  the  Islinois,  tlie 

Akansa,  the  Nadouesiou.x  and  Saulenrs.*    Accault  understood  all  these 

except  theNadoucsioux.f  but  th<'re  are  many  among  them  who  have  been 

prisoners  among  the  others,  or  who  have  come  from  others  and   been 

taken  in  war,  but  chance  willed  that  not  one  could  be  found  in  that  band 

to  interpret  lor  the  others.     It  was  necessary  to  give  a  full  box  of  goods 

and  the  next  day  twenty-four  axes  in  trade.     When  tlu'y  were  eight  leagues 

beh)W  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  they  resolved  to  go  by  land  to  their  village 

sixty  leagues  or  thereabout  distant  from  the  landing  i)lace,  not  being  will 

ing  to  carry  our  people's  things  or  take  them  by  water.    They  also  made 

them  give  the  rest  of  the  axes,  wliich  they  distributed,  promising  to  pay 

for  them  well  at  the  village,  but  two  days  after  they  also  divided  among 

them  two  boxes  of  goods,  and  having  qiiarrelied  over  the  division,  as 

well  ol  the  goods  as  of  the  tobacco,  each  chief  pretending  to  be  master, 

ihej-  parted  in  jealou.sy,  and  took  the  Frenchmen  to  the  village,  wliere 

they  promised  salisfr.ction  in  beaver  of  which  they  professed  to  have  a 

large  number. 

They  were  well  received  there  and  at  lirst  feasted  Accault  who  was  in 
a  difl'erent  village  from  that  in  which  the  Rev.  Father  Louis  and  the 
I'icard  were,  who  were  also  well  received,  except  that  some  wild  young 
fellows  having  told  the  Picard  to  sing,  the  fear  wliicli  he  felt  made  him 
cnnimil  an  act  of  cowardice,  as  it  is  only  slaves  who  sing  on  reaching  a 
village.  Accault  who  was  not  there  could  not  prevent  it,  but  they  had 
subjected  them  to  no  treatment  appioaching  that  given  to  slaves.  They 
were  never  tied,  and  payment  was  at  once  promised  for  what  the  young 
men  had  taken,  because  Accault  having  found  some  by  whom  he  could 

•  Chlppowas  or  OJibwai.  called  Sautcurs  by  the  Frencli  from  tlieir  living  at  Saiilt  Sle 
Marie. 

t  How  Accault  could  luivo  undiTHtood  the  Akuiifa?,  that  is  the  Arkansas  or  Quappae  1 
whoee  language  Is  n  dialect  ol  the  Dakota  is  not  clear,  unlew  he  had  been  amoii({  that 
nation.  And  irheunderatood  Akansae,  he  oufe'litto  have  been  able  tocomprcfaund  some 
what  the  Dakota. 


« 


I   1    I 


VI 


i 


370 


ACCOUNT  OF  HENNEPIN 


1/ 


make  himself  undeidtood,  made  tlicm  feel  the  importance  of  doing  so  ;  and 
two  calnmots  were  nt  once  danced  and  some  beaver  robes  presenlcil  to 
begin  the  payment ;  but  as  there  was  too  little,  Accanlt  would  not  be 
satisfied  with  it.  Six  weeks  after*  havintr  »11  rolurned  with  the  Nadoue- 
sioux  hunting  towards  Ouisconsing,  the  Rev.  Father  Louis  Henipin  and 
Picard  resolved  to  come  to  the  mouth  of  the  ri.  er  wliere  I  had  promised 
to  send  tidings  of  myself,  as  1  did  by  si.x  men,  whom  the  Jesuits  de 
bauched,  telling  liiem  that  the  Kev.  Father  Louis  and  his  traveling  com- 
panions had  been  killed.  Tliey  were  allowed  to  or>  there  alone  to  show 
that  they  were  not  treated  as  slaves,  and  that  Du  Lhut  is  wrong  in  boast- 
ing that  he  delivered  them  from  bondage,  inasmuch  as  on  the  way  and  an 
long  H3  they  had  provisions,  the  French  had  the  best,  although  they  fasted 
well  when  the  Indians  ran  out  of  food.  The  phtndering  was  caused  by 
jealousy  only,  for  as  they  were  from  ditferent  villages  and  very  tew  from 
that  where  the  French  were  to  go,  they  did  this  to  have  a  share  of  the 
goods,  of  which  tliey  were  afraid  they  would  get  nothing,  if  tiiej-  once  got 
into  the  village,  where  tiie  French  were ;  but  the  old  men  blamed  the 
young  greatly  and  offered  and  began  the  satisfaction  whicrh  the  said 
Accanlt  was  to  receive.  So  littU;  did  they  retain  the  French  as  slaves 
that  they  gave  to  Rev.  Father  Louis  and  the  Picard,  a  canoe  to  come  aud 
obtain  tidings  of  m(^ 

All  that  ])\\  Luth  can  say  is,  that  having  arrived  at  the  jilnce  where  the 
Father  and  the  two  Frenchmen  had  come  hunting  from  the  village 
whither  he  went  for  the  first  time  with  them,  when  they  returned  there, 
he  facilitatotl  for  them  the  means  of  returning  more  speedily  than  thev 
would  have  done,  inasmuch  as  they  had  dissuaded  the  men  whon»  I  had 
sent  from  going  there  ;  but  we  should  have  gone  for  them  the  following 
spring,  had  we  not  ascertained  their  return  a^;  we  did,  durmg  the  winter, 
from  some  Outagamia  among  whom  they  Imd  passed,  Accanlt  finding 
himself  so  little  a  slave,  that  he  chose  to  remain  till  he  had  received  the 
\)aymcnt  promised  him. 

Several  remarks,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  be  made  on  this  voyage. 

Ist.  That  1  ought  to  have  sent  a  man  that  understood  the  language. 
To  this  it  is  easy  to  reply,  that  I  did  not  send  Accaidt  to  the  Nadoue- 
sioux,  but  to  ascend  the  Great  river;  that  he  underetood  the  language  of 
those  who  were  nearest,  as  the  Otoutanta,  the  Aiouuouea,f  the  Kikapou 

♦  Hennepin  eays  iu  the  bCKinniDgof  July,  1K80. 

tTl>e  Uttoea  and  lowae.    Tlieao  two  were  Dakota  tribei,  whose  language  it  is  not 
Ikely  Accault  knew. 


1 


I  i 


FROM  LA  SALLE'S  LETTER. 


371 


ftitd  Miiskoutous  >'(uloue8loiix,  aiiioiifj  wlumi  lie  wns  to  pass  first,  iiiul 
there  get  interpreters  to  proceed  further,  it  l)eiiig  iinposHible  to  seiul  one 
wlio  understood  ail  langtiages. 

It  will  also  1)6  siiid  that  Iti  llic  first  voyages,  they  should  not  go  with  so 
many  goods,  wbicli  tempt  the  young  lucn  when  disobedient  to  their 
elders,  and  leads  them  to  acts  which  they  would  not  eoinmit,  it  tliey  saw 
nothing  to  tempt  them.  To  this  I  n^jily  that  sending  to  those  nations 
with  wl)oni  we  nindc  acquaintance  anmng  tlie  Illinois,  and  by  whom 
Accault  was  liked,  Ijccause  ho  had  spent  two  winters  and  one  summer 
there,  during  wbicli  time  he  had  seen  several  of  the  most  important  vil" 
lages,  by  which  he  was  to  pass,  wlimn  he  liad  gained  by  lilth-  presents 
there  was  nothing  to  fear  at  least  probably,  there  being  no  likelihood, 
that  they  were  going  to  encounter  a  war  party  of  Nadouesiotix  three 
hundred  leagues  from  that  country.  In  tlie  second  place  these  voyages 
being  toilsome,  those  who  luidertake  tlieni  do  so  only  by  the  hope  of 
gain,  which  cannot  be  made  without  goods.  In  the  third  place  several 
of  these  Indians  having  come  to  tlie  Islinois  while  we  wiire  staying 
tliere,  and  having  seen  the  goods  which  we  liad,  would  have  felt  umbrage 
or  jealousy,  believing  that  their  going  to  their  country  wita  little,  showed 
a  want  of  friendsliip  o;  some  ill  desinrn.  Finally,  wishing  to  allure  them 
to  come  and  buy  our  goods  and  to  make  them  relish  their  use,  it  required 
a  somewhat  considerabli^^  stock. 

1  liave  deemed  it  seasonable  i  <;ive  you  a  narrative  of  the  adventures 
of  this  canoe,  l)ecau8e  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  spoken  of,  and  if  you 
desire  to  confer  with  Father  Louis  Hempin,  Recollect,  who  has  gone 
back  to  France,  it  is  necessary  to  know  him  somewhat,  for  he  will  not 
fail  to  exaggerate  everything;  it  is  his  character;  and  to  myself,  he  has 
written  me,  as  though  he  had  b(;cn  all  ready  to  be  burned,  although  he 
was  not  even  in  danger  ;  but  ho  believes  that  it  is  honorable  for  him  to 
act  in  this  way,  and  he  speaks  more  in  keeping  with  what  he  wishes  than 
what  he  knows."  * 

*  Margry  gives  this  document  as  an  autograpli  letter  of  La  Salle  signed  by  litm  and 
exiRtinfr  ill  the  National  Library  among  the  Clairainbault  papers,  and  siiin^sea  it  addrceeed 
to  the  AbbfiBernou.  It  Is  pretcntiouB  in  style  and  bnt  for  this  positive  statement  of 
Margry,  might  well  be  auspected  of  being  rewritten  by  Uemou  lu  I'ailB  after  interviews 
with  Hennepin. 

The  following  letter  of  Hennepin  to  the  Al)b6  lienandot,  shows  that  he  deemed  himself 
ill  treated  by  that  gentleman  who  had  apparently  thrown  doubts  on  his  good  faith: 

MoMBiKun,  vous  sfavC'S  que  je  vons  ai  donnS  la  premiere  connoissance  de  nre  dcscoo- 


372 


TONTY'S  ACCOUNT  OF 


! 


ACCOUNT 


M  1 


HENNEPIN'S  EXPEDITION  IN  THE  WORK  PUB- 
LISHED IN  1697,  AS  BY  THE  CHEVALIER 
TONTY.* 

Mr.  dc  la  Sulle  "  cast  liis  eyes  011  Mr.  Diican  to  make  an  exploration  of 
tlif  lands  whic'li  lie  aloiijf  the  r'^er  Mississipi  ruiiiiint';  norlliuast.  To 
accomjiany  him  he  selected  the  r<erollcct  Father  l.,()ui8  with  ftnir  French- 
men and  two  IndiaiiB,  supplied  iheni  with  urnis  and  nccesuary  niuuitions, 
and  gave  them  goods  lo  trade  with  the  nations  whom  they  might  meet. 

vertn  a  nion  nrriyfe  el  que  jc  voiia  ny  prls  pour  rarbltrudes  peniiea  quo  j'ay  ei>9nl6  dcpuls 
quatreang.  NdHnnioliif  ju  vois  que  M.  I'abW  Bcriiou  n"un  a  pas  ub6  a  mon  egard  comrac 
il  lo  devroit.  II  couuoietra  daDi<  le  tempn  ct  duiia  rcteruitu  la  sclucurlte  do  ineR  iutcD- 
tU>u9  ct  vouB,  Mone Icur,  volre»  un  Jour  que  Je  suls  daus  tout  lo  respect  pustlblo 

Lo  plup  huniblo  ct  le  plus  passlonfi  do  vob  servitourg' 

F.  Louia  llENNKPIN, 

Pauvre  esclave  des  b  irhara. 

Sin  :   You  know  Ibnt  I  give  you  the  flrst  Intelligence  of  onr  discovery  on  my  arrlTal 

and  that  I  took  yon  ns  ibc  arbiter  of  tl  e  hardnhlps  which  I  had  undergone  for  four  year?. 

Niivertheli'RP  I  Bte  that  the  Abbe  Burnon  ha»  not  acted  in  my  regard  a»  ho  should.    Ho 

will  know  in  time  and  eternity  the  sincerity  of  my  imenUons,  and  you,  Sir,  will  one  day 

see  tluit  I  nm  In  all  posciblc  rcsp'     , 

The  moat  hnmble  and  devoted  of 

Your  Servanla, 

P.  Louis  HlNNKriN, 

Poor  Slave  of  the  Savagoa. 

Margry  atlll  poaseaged  with  the  Idea  that  Uornou  who  never  wae  in  America  wrote  the 
authentic  account  of  what  he  never  saw,  the  Upper  MisBiBsipi,  and  that  Hennepin  who 
actually  made  the  voyage  plagiarized  an  account  of  what  he  saw  and  did  Ironi  La  Salle 
or  this  c'airvoyaiit  llernou,  thinks  Bernou's  discontent  legitimate  at  Ilcnnepin'a 
prclcndlug  to  be  able  to  tell  what  ho  saw  and  did.  The  manner  in  which  La  Salle  here, 
and  Bernon  in  the  Margry  Kvlation  garble  Hennepin's  ace  mnt,  and  deny  bis  being  a 
captive  Is  evidently  what  Hennepin  complains  of,  and  hie  si;;natnre  sliowf  that  this  point 
of  Ills  slavery,  was  tlic  o:ie  In  v.hich  lie  insisted  that  they  wronged  him. 

There  Is  not  a  particle  of  evidence  that  .\ccault  or  Auijuello  furnished  La  Salle  any 
information,  and  Hennopln  says  they  could  not  write.  La  Salle  admlta  receiving  a  letter 
from  Hennepin,  who  Is  therefore  the  primary  authority. 

•  Tonty  disavowed  this  work  but  it  was  clearly  based  on  data  furnished  by  him. 
althongh  the  editor  took  the  widest  liberty.  The  portion  here  given  is  very  curious. 
Accault,  or  with  thcnoble  prefix  d'Accan  it  here  written  Uacnn,  Instead  of  Uacau,  remained 
n  the  Sioux  country,  as  already  noted,  but  was  subsequently  In  Illinois  (Qr-avler,  Rola- 
lon  Illinois,  1693,  p.  3i)  and  the  Information  of  bis  and  Hennepin's  expndltion  here  given 
wae  evidently  derived  from  Accault.  The  latter  in  1693  married  a  daughter  of  the  Chief 
of  the  Kaskaakias.    Wo  need  not  aay  that  most  of  the  statements  are  fklse. 


HENNEPIN'S  VOYAGE. 


373 


They  embarked  on  the  28th  of  Febnmry  in  the  yenr  1^80  on  the  river 
of  the  Iwlinois,  descended  it  to  tlio  river  MisHisBipi.and  jiuslied  tlieirtrnde 
while  nscending  this  river,  until  450  lengues  northward,  seven  leagues 
from  its  souree,  striking  off'  from  linu;  to  lime  on  one  side  of  the  river  or 
tlie  other,  to  I'econnoilre  the  vaiioim  nations  who  dwell  there. 

This  river  springs  from  a  great  fountain  on  topof  ahill,  wliich  is  skirled 
by  a  very  beauiifu"  plain  in  the  country  of  llie  Issati,  at  50°  n.  latitude. 
Four  or  live  leagues  from  its  tiource,  it  heeomes  so  swollen  by  five  or  six 
riviirs  that  empty  into  it,  that  it  is  capable  of  bearing  boats.  Thesurround. 
ing  country  i.s  inhabited  by  many  nations,  the  liant'lims,  Issati,  Ona. 
Tintonbrts,  Nadouessans.  Mr.  Dacau  was  very  well  receiveil  by  all  these 
nations,  traded  with  them,  made  several  slaves,  increased  his  party  by 
several  Indian  volunteers,  and  two  leagues  from  the  source  of  this  great 
river  set  up  tlie  King's  arms  on  tlie  trunk  of  a  great  tree  iu  siglit  of  all 
these  nations,  who  recognized  them  as  that  of  their  prince  and  sovereign 
nuister.  lie  also  founded  several  settlements  there,  one  among  the  Issati, 
wliere  several  Euroiieans  who  had  joined  liim  in  his  course,  wislied  to 
take  up  their  residence;  another  among  tlie  Hauetous;  another  among 
the  Ona,  and  finally  another  anu)ng  the  Tintonluis  or  River  men. 

Charmed  with  the  docility  of  these  tribes,  and  moreover  attracted  by 
the  great  trade  in  jieltries,  he  advanced  inland  to  the  lake  of  the  Aaseni- 
poils.  It  is,  a  lake  meie  than  tlurty  leagues  in  circuit.  Fierce  as  tins 
nation  is  it  received  him  very  liunninely.  He  Ibunded  there  a  post  (or  the 
French  nd  another  among  the  Chongaskabes  or  Nation  of  the  Strong' 
their  neighbors." 


I  A> 


T" 


t 


f!  if 


I   i 
^ 


¥ 


374 


MEMOIR  OF 


MEMOIR 


SIEUR  DANIEL  GREYSOLON  DU  LUTH  ON  THE 
DISCOVERY  OF  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE 
NADOUECIOUX      IN     CANADA     OF 
WHICH  HE  GIVES  A  VERY  DETAIL- 
ED RELATION,  1685. 

[Arcblves  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Marine.] 
To  Monteignem'  the  Marquis  de  Seiynelay. 

MONSKIONEUn, 

After  having  niitde  two  voynges  from  here  to  New  France,  where  nl| 
the  people  there  were  there,  did  not  believe  it  poasihle  to  discover  llie 
country  of  the  Nadoucciotix,  nor  have  any  trade  with  tlicni,  botli  on  iic- 
count  of  tlieir  renioteiie.i»,  wbicli  is  more  tlian  800  leagues  from  our  settle 
nients,  and  because  they  were  generally  at  war  with  all  kinds  of  nations 

Tiiis  diflicully  niude  me  form  the  resolution  to  go  among  thoni,  a  project 
whicli  I  could  not  then  carry  out,  my  iifi'Hirs  having  compelled  me  to  return 
to  this  country,  whereafter  having  made  the  campaign  of  Franche  Comte 
and  tlie  battle  ofSenef,  where  I  had  the  honor  of  being  a  gendarme  in  his 
Majesty's  gmird,  and  squire  of  the  Marquis  deLassay,  ourensign,  I  set  out 
to  return  to  Quebec,  where  1  had  no  sooner  arrived,  than  the'desire  whicli  I 
badnheady  liadto  carry  out  this  design  increased,  and  I  began  to  take  steps 
to  make  myself  known  to  the  Indians.  Who  having  assured  me  of  their 
friendship,  and  in  proof  thereof  given  me  three  slaves,  whom  I  had  asked 
from  them  <mly  to  accompany  me,  I  set  out  from  Montreal  with  them  and 
seven  Frenchmen  on  the  first  of  September  in  theyear  1678  to  endeavor  to 
make  the  discovery  of  the  Nadouecioux  and  Assenipoualaks,*  who  were 

*  Tlieet!  nameti  .'\rc  both  ChipiivwH,  niid  not  tho»e  U8cd  hy  thetu  tribus  themtelvcs 
1'hc  C'hippcwiiR  ciUlud  tliu  Dakolup,  Nuduwtii-iii-wat:,  and  Bwaii-ag,  the  Nadouecbioiiuk 
■lid  I'milnk  of  tlie  French.  Oiic  part  of  the  l)al<olas  tlicy  gtyletf  Aexinl-Bwan,  Stoao 
Sioux,  Assini  meaning  stone  among  Algonquin  trilies  from  Lake  Superior  to  Delswan 
Bay.  Baraga,  Otchlpwe  Diet.,  pp.  46,  91.  This  word  is  oar  Assinlboin,  and  with  the 
plural  aufilx  the  AeeinlpoDaiak  of  the  French. 


i 


W  \ 


GRKYSOLON  DU  LHUT. 


375 


unknown  to  us,  and  to  nmko  thorn  make  peace  with  all  the  nations  around 
Lake  Superior,  wlio  livr  under  tlie  Hway  of  our  invincible  monarch. 

I  do  not  think  that  Huch  a  departure  could  give  occasion  to  any  one 
whatever  to  charije  me  wiili  having  contravened  the  orders  of  the  King  iu 
the  year  167(1,  since'  he  merely  forliid  all  his  suhjecis  to  go  into  the  remote 
forests,  thereto  trade  with  the  Indiai.s.  This  1  have  never  done,  nor  have  I 
even  wished  to  take  any  presemts  from  them,  although  they  have  repeatedly 
thrown  tliem  to  me,  which  I  hiive  always  refused  and  left,  in  order 
that  no  one  niiglit  tax  me  with  haviu;,'  carried  on  iiny  indirect  trade. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1071),  I  had  the  honor  to  plant  lii.f  majesty's  arms  In 
the  gnat  village  of  the  Nadoueciou.x,  called  Izalys,  where  never  had  a 
Frenchman  been,  no  more  than  at  the  Soiig.iskitons  and  llouetbatons, 
distant  six  score  leagues  from  the  lornicr,  where  I  also  planted  his 
mnjcBty's  arms,  in  the  same  year  1079. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  having  given  the  Agrenipoulaks  as  well  as 
all  the  oilier  norihern  nations  a  rendezvous  at  the  extremity  of  Lake 
Superior  to  induce  them  to  uuikc  jieace  with  the  Nadoi«ecloux  their 
common  enemy.  Tliey  were  all  there,  and  I  was  happy  enough  to  gain 
their  esteem  and  friemlahip,  to  luiite  Ihem  together,  and  in  order  that  the 
peace  might  be  lasting  among  them,  I  Mioufihl  thiit  I  could  not  cement  it 
better  than  by  inducing  the  nations  to  make  reciprocal  marriages  witli  each 
other.  This  I  coulii  not  elfect  without  j^reat  expeufe.  Tlu^  following 
winter  I  made  them  liold  meetings  iu  the  woods,  which  I  altended,  in 
order  that  they  niight  hunt  together,  give  banquets  and  by  this  means 
contract  a  closer  friendship. 

The  pieseuls  which  il  cost  me  to  induce  the  Indians  to  go  down  to 
Montreal,  wlio  had  been  diverted  by  the  Openugaux  and  Abenakis  at  the 
instigation  of  the  English  and  Dutch,  who  made  them  believe  that  the 
plague  raged  in  the  Freneh  seltlenu'uts.  !ind  that  it  had  spread  as  far  as 
Nipissingue,  where  most  of  the  Nipissiriniens  had  died  of  it,  have  also 
entailed  a  greater  expense. 

In  June,  1080,  not  being  satisfied  witli  luiving  made  my  discovery  by 
land,  I  took  two  canoes  with  an  Indian  who  was  my  interpreter  and  four 
Frenolimeii,  to  seek  mcimsio  make  it  l)y  water.  Willi  this  view  I  entca-ed 
a  river  wlucli  emptier'  ei^'lit  leagues  Iro'in  the  (extremity  of  Lake  Superior 
on  the  south  side,  where  after  having  cut  some  trees  and  broken  about  a 
himdred  beaver  dams,  I  reached  the  u|iper  waters  of  the  said  river,  and 
then  I  made  a  portage  of  half  a  league  to  reach  a  lake,  the  outlet  of  whicli 


TT 


376 


MEMOIR  OF 


fell  Into  II  very  tine  rivor,  which  look  me  di)wn  into  tlic  MisMlssipi.  Doiun 
tliLTi!  1  ii'arni'tl  tVoni  eiiflit  culihis  of  Nmlouccioux  whom  I  nii.'l.  that  tin- 
Uovcri-nd  Fiilhi^'  liOiiis  llfniiin,  I{c'i.<illw;t,  now  iit  the  convent  of  HI. 
Oerinikln,  with  two  otiicr  Fronclnnen,  Imd  been  rohliud  and  carried  utf  a» 
sliivcH  for  more  tliiin  300  leujjiieH  l)y  (he  Nadouedonx  tiiemneiveti. 

TliiK  lhl(,'lii>>ence  Binpriseil  me  so  imicii,  that  wltiioiit  liesilating,  I  left 
two  Frenclimun  witli  tliese  miid  ciglit  cabins  of  Indianx,  as  well  as  the 
((oodn  which  I  had  to  niaki!  preseiitH,  and  took  onr  oftliO  Buid  Indiana,  to 
who.n  I  made  a  present  to  ;^nidc  n\u  with  my  intei  prelur  and  two  Frencli- 
men  to  wliere  tlie  8uid  Reverend  Fntlier  Lonl»  was,  and  as  it  was  n  |j;ood 
80  leagues  I  proceeded  in  canoe  two  days  an(l  two  niglits,  and  the  next 
day  at  ten  o'clock  in  tlie  morning  I  found  him  -„iili  about  1000  or  1100 
souls.  Tho  want  of  retipect  whicli  tlicy  showed  to  tho  said  Reverend 
Father  provoked  me,  and  this  I  showed  them,  tellinjj;  them  that  he  was 
my  brother,  and  I  had  him  placed  in  my  canoe  lo  C(nnc  with  nie  into  llie 
villages  of  tho  said  Nadouecioux,  whither  I  took  bim,  and  in  which,  a 
week  after  onr  arrival  lliere,  I  cansed  a  council  to  be  convened,  exposing 
the  ill  trealnieni  which  they  liad  been  guilly  of  botli  to  the  said  Reverend 
Father  and  to  the  other  two  Frenchmen  who  were  with  him,  having 
robl)ed  llicn\  and  carried  them  off  as  slaves,*  and  even  taken  the  priestly 
Testments  of  the  said  reverend  Father.  I  had  two  calumets  which  they 
had  danced  to  them,  returned  to  them,  on  account  of  the  insult  which 
tliey  iiad  offered  tiiem,  l)eing  w  hat  they  hold  most  in  esteem  among  them 
to  appease  matters,  telling  thi  m  that  I  did  not  take  cniumets  from  people^ 
who  after  they  had  seen  me  and  received  my  peace  presents,  and  been 
for  a  year  always  with  Frenchmen,  robbed  tliem  when  they  went  to 
visit  them. 

Each  one  in  the  council  endeavored  to  throw  tlie  blame  from  himself, 
but  tiieir  excuses  did  not  prevent  my  telling  the  Reverend  Fatlier  Louis 
tliat  he  would  have  to  come  with  me  towards  the  Outagamys,  as  he  did, 
showing  bim  that  it  would  be  to  strike  a  blow  at  the  French  nation  in  a 
new  discovery,  to  suller  an  insult  of  this  nature  without  manifesting  n^ 
sentment,  although  my  design  was  to  push  on  lo  the  sea  iu  a  west  north- 
westerly direction,  which  is  that  which  is  believed  to  be  the  Red  Sea  (Gull 
of  Califciuia),  whence  the  Indians  who  bad  gone  warrmg  on  that  side 
gave  salt  to  tliree  Frenchmen  whom  1  had  sent  exploring,  and  who  brought 
me  said  salt,  having  reported  lo  me  that  the  Indians  had  told  them,  that  it 

*  Dn  Lbut  an  eye  witneBs  here  declares  Uenuepin'it  piirty  to  liavc  been  held  «8  prieoners 
and  thuB  conflrmB  Hennepin  as  against  La  Saile  and  Bornou. 


GREYSOLON  DU  LUHT. 


Ill 


was  only  twenty  days  journey  from  whore  they  were  to  flml  tboKreut  lake 
of  which  the  wntcrs  were  wortliless  to  drink.  This  has  made  nie  believe 
that  it  wonld  not  be  n1)Solulcly  (lilllcult  to  flml  it,  if  pcrmisHinn  would  be 
given  to  go  there.  However  I  preferred  to  retrace  my  Bteps,  manifeHting 
to  them  tlie  J.mt  iridigofitloii  which  I  felt  against  them,  rather  than  to 
remain  after  the  violence  whi(;li  they  had  done  to  the  Reverend  Father 
and  the  other  two  Frcnehnien  who  were  with  him,  whom  I  put  in  my 
'    'oea   and   brought   tliem   back  to  Mlchelimnkinalc,  a  misgion  of  the 

overcnd  Jesuit  Fathers,  where  while  wintering  together,  I  learned  that 
lur  from  being  ajiproved  for  what  I  was  doing,  consuming  my  property 
and  risking  my  life  daily,  I  was  regarded  as  the  chief  of  a  band,  although 
I  never  had  more  than  eight  men  with  inc.  It  was  not  necesmry  to  tell 
mo  more  to  Induce  me  to  set  out  over  the  Ion  on  the  29fh  of  Mnr"h  in  the 
year  lOSl  withthesai.i  Reverend  Father  and  two  other  Frenchmen,  having 
our  canoe  and  provisions  dragged  along,  in  order  to  reach  our  settlements 
as  soon  as  possilile,  and  to  make  manifest  the  uprightness  of  my  conduct, 
having  never  Veen  in  a  humor  to  wish  myself  withdrawn  from  the 
obedience  which  ii  due  to  the  King's  orders. 

I  accordingly  proceeded  to  our  settlements  three  months  before  the 
anmcsty,  which  it  lias  pleased  his  majesty  to  grant  to  his  subjects,  who 
might  have  contruveued  his  orders,  had  arrived,  but  the  Intcndant  was 
unwilling  to  hear  any  request  that  I  might  have  been  able  to  present  to 
him. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  I  lived  on  my  voyage,  it  would  be  super- 
fluous for  rae  to  expatiate  on  the  subject  and  to  annoy  your  grace  by  a 
ong  story,  being  convinced  that  thirteen  original  letters  of  the  Reverend — 
Nouvel,  Superior  of  the  Outaouais  missions,  the  Reverend  Father  Enjalran, 
missionary  of  Saint  Francis  de  Borgias,  the  Reverend  Father  Bailioquet, 
missionary  of  Sainto  Marie  du  Sault,  and  the  Reverend  Father  Plerson, 
missionary  of  the  Ilurons  at  Saint  Ignace,  all  Jesuits,  will  suffice  on  the 
whole  to  inform  your  Grace  amply  and  fully."  * 

*  Ilarrlese,    NntcR  pour  «ervtr  i  I'blatolro,  &e.,  do  la  NouTolla  Krance,  pp,  1T7-181. 

"  In  the  lart  years  of  the  flret  administration  of  Monsieur  de  Frontenac,  the  Sleur  da 
Lnt,  n  man  of  ability  and  experience,  opened  the  way  for  missionaries  and  the  gospel  in 
several  different  nations,  strllclng  north  of  said  Lake  (Superior),  where  he  even  bnllt  a 
fort;  be  pei.etrared  even  to  the  Lake  of  the  Issatl,  called  Lxke  Baade,  from  the  family 
name  of  Honsirnr  de  Frontcaae,  planting  the  King's  arms  among  several  nations  to  the 
right  and  left,  where  miaslonarles  are  still  doing  their  best  to  introduce  Christianity,"  Ac. , 
Le  Clercq,  Btabllssement,  U,  p.  137-8. 

28 


378 


DESCRIPTION  OF 


'    » 


DESCRIPTION  OP  NIAGARA  FALLS. 
[Nouvello  D6coaverte,  pp.  443-4S6.] 

'  'We  passed  back  by  the  great  Fall  of  Niagara  and  employed  ourselves 
during  half  a  day  in  conteniplating  this  prodigious  cascade.  I  could  not 
conceive,  how  it  could  be,  tluit  four  great  lakes  the  least  of  which  is 
four  hundred  leagues  in  circuh,  and  whicli  empty  into  one  another, 
which  all  come  at  last  massed  at  this  great  fall  do  not  inundate  this  great 
part  of  America.  What  is  more  surprising  in  this  is,  that  from  the  mouth 
of  Lake  Eric  to  this  great  fall,  the  laud  appear^  nlmost  all  smooth  and  level. 
You  can  scarcely  perceive  that  one  part  is  higher  than  another,  and  this 
for  the  space  of  six  leagues.  It  is  only  the  surface  of  the  water,  the  cur- 
rent of  which  is  very  rapid,  that  makes  it  noticeable.  What  is  still  more 
surprising  is,  that  from  this  great  cataract  to  two  leagues  lower  down  pro- 
ceeding towards  Lake  Ontario  or  Frontcnac,  the  land  appears  as  level  as 
in  the  part  above  from  Lake  Erie  to  this  prodigious  fall. 

Our  admiratiou  redoubled  especially  at  tliere  being  no  mountain  in  sight 
till  two  good  leagues  below  this  cascade.  And  yet  the  discharge  of  so 
much  water,  coming  from  these  fresh  water  seas,  centres  at  this  spot  and 
thus  plunges  down  more  than  six  hundred  feet,  falling  as  into  an  abyss 
which  we  could  not  behold  without  a  shudder.  The  two  great  sheets  of 
water  which  are  on  the  two  sides  of  the  sloping  islaud  that  is  in  the  middle, 
fall  down  without  noise  and  without  violence,  and  glide  in  this  manner 
without  din  ;  but  when  this  great  mass  of  water  reaches  the  bottom  then 
there  is  a  noise  and  a  roaring  greater  than  thunder. 

Moreo  •  the  spray  of  the  water  is  so  great  that  it  forms  a  kind  ot 
clouds  above  this  abyss,  and  these  are  seen  even  at  the  time  when  the  sun 
is  shining  brightest  at  midday.  No  matter  how  hot  it  is  In  the  midst  of 
summer,  they  are  always  set'u  over  tlie  spruces  and  the  tallest  trees  on 
this  sloping  island,  by  means  ot  which  the  g^eat  sheets  of  water,  I  have 
mentioned,  are  formed. 

Many  a  time  did  I  wish  that  day  that  I  had  persons  able  to  describe 
this  great  and  horrible  fall,  in  order  to  give  t,  just  and  circumstantial 
account,  capable  of  satisfying  the  reader,  and  enabling  him  to  admire 
this  wonder  of  nature;  as  fully  us  it  deserves.  But  here  is  a  description  of 
this  prodigy  of  nature,  such  as  1  can  give  it  in  writing,  to  enable  the 
curious  reader  to  conceive  as  true  an  idea  as  possible." 

"  From  the  issue  of  Lake  Erie  to  the  great  fall,  is  reckoned  si.\  leagues,  as 
I  have  said,  and  .  jis  continues   the  Great  river  St.  Lawrence,  which 


lil  r 


,< . 


"r: 

i  ■ 

1  - 

■  1     ' 

i    ! 

i   : 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


379 


issues  from  all  tlicsoulakes  already  mentioned.  It  is  easy  to  conceive 
that  in  this  space  ihe  river  is  very  rapid,  since  it  is  the  outlet  of  this  vast 
mass  of  water,  issuing  from  all  tliese  lakes.  The  land  on  both  sides,  east 
and  west  of  this  current,  seem  always  level  from  the  said  Lake  Erie  to 
the  great  fall.  The  banks  are  not  steep  and  the  water  is  almost  every 
where  even  with  the  land.  You  see  indeed  that  the  land  below  is  lower, 
as  in  fact  the  waters  How  with  very  great  rapidity.  This  however  is 
almost  inpercepliblc  during  tiie  si.K  leagues  mentioned. 

After  these  six  leagues  of  great  rapiditj'  the  waters  of  this  river  meet  a 
sloping  island,  about  half  ii  quarter  of  an  hour  long,  and  about  three 
hundred  feet  wide,  as  well  as  can  be  judged  by  the  eye,  because  it  is  im- 
possible to  cross  over  to  this  island  in  bark  canoes  without  exposing  one- 
self to  certain  death  on  account  of  the  violence  of  the  waters.  This 
island  is  covered  with  cedar  and  spruce.  Yet  the  surface  is  not  more  ele- 
vated than  that  of  the  two  banks  of  the  river.  They  seem  even  level 
down  to  the  two  great  cascades  which  compose  the  greet  fall.  The  two 
banks  of  the  channels,  which  are  formed  on  meeting  this  island,  and 
which  flow  on  either  side,  all  but  wash  the  very  surface  of  the  land  on 
this  island,  as  well  as  that  on  the  two  banks  of  the  river,  on  the  east  and 
west,  descending  from  south  to  north.  But  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  at  the 
extremity  of  the  islands,  on  the  side  of  the  great  sheets  or  water  falls, 
there  is  a  projecting  rock  which  descends  into  the  great  gulf  into  which  these 
waters  plunge.  Yet  this  projecting  rock  is  not  swept  by  the  two  sheets  of 
water  that  fall  on  either  side  of  it,  because  the  two  channels  which  are 
formed  by  meeting  this  island,  rush  down  with  extreme  rapidity,  one  on 
the  east,  the  other  on  the  west,  from  the  point  of  this  island,  and  there  the 
great  fall  is  formed. 

So  after  these  two  channels  flow  on  either  side  of  the  island,  they  all 
at  once  come  and  hurl  their  waters  in  two  great  sheets,  which  fall  com- 
pactly and  are  thus  sustained  by  the  rapidity  of  their  fall  without  wetting 
this  projecting  rock.  Then  it  is  that  they  are  precipitate-^  into  an  abyss 
which  is  below  at  a  depth  of  more  than  six  hundred  feet. 

The  waters  which  flow  on  the  east,  do  not  descend  so  impetuously  as 
those  that  fall  on  the  west.  The  sheet  flows  more  gently  because  this 
projecting  rock  at  the  end  of  the  island,  rises  higher  on  this  side  than  on 
the  west;  and  this  supports  the  waters  longer  that  are  on  that  side.  But 
this  rock  leaning  more  to  the  west  and  not  sustaining  them  so  long,  causes 
them  to  fall  sooner  and  more  precipitately.    This  arises  too  from  the  fact 


i 

I' 


■"*-*ii 


3«o 


DESCRIPTION  OF 


i 


'! 


I'    ^ 
I    ! 


that  the  land  on  the  western  side  is  lower  than  that  on  the  east.  Hence 
we  see  that  the  water  of  the  sheet  of  water  on  the  west  falls  in  the  form 
of  a  square  making  a  third  sheet,  less  than  the  two  others,  which  falls 
between  the  south  and  north. 

And  because  there  is  high  ground  on  the  north,  which  is  before  these 
two  great  cascades,  there  the  prodigious  gulf  is  much  wider  than  on  the 
east.  Yet  it  must  be  remarked,  that  a  man  can  descend  from  this  high 
ground,  which  is  opposite  the  two  last  sheets  of  water,  which  you  find 
west  of  the  great  fall,  down  to  the  bottoui  of  this  frightful  abyss.  The 
author  of  this  discovery  has  been  there,  and  has  witnessed  near  at  hand 
the  fall  of  the  great  cascades.  There  can  be  seen  a  considerable  distance 
below  the  sheet  of  water  which  falls  on  the  cast,  so  that  four  carriages 
could  drive  abreast  without  getting  wet.  I3ut  because  the  ground  east  of 
the  desceu  ling  rock,  where  the  firet  sheet  of  water  plunges  into  this  gulf, 
is  very  sf  ep,  almost  perpendicular  in  fact,  no  man  can  on  that  side  reach 
the  spot  where  the  four  carriages  could  pass  without  getting  wet,  or  can 
pierce  this  great  mass  of  water  which  falls  towards  the  gulf.  Hence  it  is 
very  probable,  that  it  is  to  this  dry  part,  that  the  rattle  snakes  retire 
reaching  it  by  subterranean  passages. 

It  is  at  the  end  then  of  this  sloping  island  that  these  two  great  sheets, 
of  water  are  formed,  with  the  third  that  I  have  mentioned,  and  it  is  thence 
that  tliey  plunge,  leaping  in  a  frightful  manner  into  tliis  prodigious  gulf, 
more  than  six  hundred  feet  down,  as  we  have  remarked.  I  have  already 
said  that  the  waters  falling  on  the  east  plunge  and  descend  with  less 
violence,  and  on  the  other  hand,  those  on  the  west  descend  all  at  once> 
and  form  two  cascades,  one  moderate,  the  other  very  violent.  But  finally 
the^e  two  last  falls  makes  a  kind  of  hook  or  bent  form  and  descend  from 
south  to  north  and  from  west  to  east.  After  which  they  meet  the  waters 
of  the  other  sheet,  which  falls  on  tlie  east,  and  then  it  is  that  they  both 
fall,  although  unequally  into  this  fearful  abyss,  with  all  the  impetuosity 
that  can  be  imagined  in  a  fall  six  hundred  feet  high,  formmg  the  finest 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  awful  cascade  in  the  world. 

After  these  waters  have  thus  plunged  into  this  frightful  gulf,  they 
resume  their  course  and  continue  tlie  great  River  St.  Lawrence  for  two 
leagues  to  the  three  mountains,  on  the  east  side  of  this  river,  and  (o  the 
great  rock  which  is  on  the  west  and  which  seems  to  rise  very  high  out  of 
the  water  three  fathoms  from  the  land  or  therealwuts.  The  abyss  into 
which  tuese  waters  descend,  continues  thus  for  two  leagues  between  two 


NIAGARA  FALLS. 


381 


chains  of  mountains,  forming  a  great  rock-lined  ravine,  ou  both  sides  of 
tlie  river. 

It  is  into  this  gulf  then  that  all  these  waters  fall  with  an  impetuouaity 
that  can  be  imagined  iu  so  high  a  fall,  so  prodigious,  for  its  horrible  mass 
of  water.  Tlicre  are  formed  those  thunders,  tl'.oae  roarings,  tliose  fearful 
bounds  and  scetbings,  with  that  perpetual  cloud  rising  above  the  cedars 
and  spruces,  that  are  seen  on  the  projecting  island,  already  mentioned. 

After  the  channel  reunites  below  t;  J  horrible  fall,  by  the  two  ranges 
of  rocks  of  which  we  have  spoken,  and  which  is  filled  by  this  prodigious 
quantity  of  water,  continually  falling  there,  the  River  St.  Lawrence  begins 
again  to  flow  from  that  place;  but  it  is  with  so  much  violence,  and  it, 
waters  lash  the  rocks  on  both  sides  with  such  terrible  impetuosity,  that  if 
iB  impossible  to  sail  there  even  in  a  bark  canoe,  in  which  however  by 
sailing  close  in  shore  you  can  pass  the  most  violent  rapids. 

These  rocks  and  this  ravine  continue  for  two  leagues  from  the  great 
fall  to  the  three  mountains  and  great  rock  already  mentioned.  However 
all  this  diminishes  insensibly  as  you  approach  the  three  mountains  and 
the  great  rock;  and  then  the  ground  begins  to  be  almost  even  wiih  the 
river  and  this  continues  to  Lake  Frontenac  or  Ontario. 

When  you  are  near  the  great  fall  and  cast  your  eyes  down  this  fearful 
gulf,  you  are  filled  with  awe,  and  all  who  attempt  to  look  steadily  at  this 
horrible  fall  get  giddy.  But  at  last  this  ravine  diminishes  and  becomes 
a  mere  nothing,  at  the  three  r.ountains,  the  waters  of  the  River  St. 
Lawrence  begin  to  flow  more  gently.  This  great  rapid  slackens,  the  river 
almost  resuming  the  level  of  the  laud.  It  is  thence  navigable  to  Lake 
Frontenac,  across  which  you  sail  to  reach  the  new  channel  formed  by  its 
discharges.  Then  you  re-enter  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  which  soon  afler 
forms  what  is  called  the  Long  Fall,  a  hundred  leagues  from  Niagara. 

I  have  often  heard  people  talk  of  the  Cataracts  of  the  Nile,  which 
deafen  those  who  are  near.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  Iroquois  who 
formerly  dwelt  near  this  fall  and  who  lived  on  deer  which  the  waters  of 
this  fall  dragged  with  them,  and  which  they  hurled  dow"  such  a  prodi 
gioua  depth,  have  retired  from  the  neighborhood  of  this  great  waterfall 
from  fear  of  losing  their  hearing,  or  whether  this  was  induced  by  the 
danger  they  wore  constantly  exposed  to  from  rattlesnakes,  which  are 
found  here  during  the  great  heats,  and  which  retire  to  cavities  in  the 
rocks  as  far  iia  the  mountains  two  leagues  below,  where  they  cannot  be 
attacked." 


I 

1 


II  J  i 


382 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


• 
11 


J 


.% 


i| 


I  ! 


BIBLIOGRAPHTOF  HENNEPIN.* 

1.  THE  "  DESCRIPTION  DE  ."A.  L0UI8IANE." 
Frgmch. 

1.  Description  |  de  la  |  Louisiane,  |  nouvellen  ent  decouverto  |  au  Sud' 
Ouost  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  |  Par  ordre  du  Roy.  |  Avccla  Carte  du  Payi: 
Lei  Moeurs  |  tfe  la  maniere  de  vit>re  |  (lea  Sauvages.  \  Dcdie'e  a  sa  Majeste'  | 
Par  le  R.  P.  Louis  Hennepin,  |  Mmionnaire  Recollet  &  \  Notaire  Aposta- 
ligue.  I  Monoirrani  A  A  |  A  Paria,  |  Chez  la  Veuve  Sebastian  Hure', 
ruS  I  Saint  .lacques,  a  l'  Image  S.  Jerome,  |  pres  S.  Severin.  |  —  |  M. 
DC.LXXXIII.  I  Avec  Privilege  dv  Roy.  | 

12°,  pp.  (18),  812,  Les  Moeurs  des  Sauvages,  pp.  107.  Map  by  Guerard. 
Carte  |  de  la  |  Nouuelle  France  |  et  de  la  i  Louisiane  |  Nouuellement  de- 
couuerte  |  dediee  |  Au  Roy  [  I'an  1683  |  Par  le  Reuerend  Pere  |  Louis 
Hennepin  |  Missionaire  Recollect  |  et  Notaire  Apostolique.  | 

Privilege  granted  Sept  3,  1682,  registered  Sept.  10.  Printing  completed 
Jan.  5,  1683. 

The  map  carries  the  Mississippi  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  does 
not  indicate  the  Ohio  or  Missouri :  Pictures  a  tree  with  the  French 
arms,  and  marks  the  spot  near  Lake  Buadc,  and  a  church  and  "  Missions 
des  Recollects  "  near  the  Lake  des  Assenipoils,  evidently  to  inform  readers 
that  a  church  indicated  a  Recollect  mission. 

2.  Some  copies  of  this  edition  with  the  same  privilege  and  note 
as  to  printing,  have  on  title,  Apostolique,  in  a  line  by  itself  and. 
A  Paris,  |  Chez  Amable  Auroy,  Proche  la  Fontaine  8.  Severin,  | 
M.DC.LXXXIV.  1 

The  A  A  on  the  title  is  the  monogram  of  Amable  Auroy. 

8.  Title  to  A  Paris  as  in  No.  1.  A  Roman  q.  in  Apostolique.  Chez 
Amable  Auroy,  rile  Saint  |  Saint  Jacques  a  I'lmage  S.  Jerome,  |  attenant 
la  Fontaine   S.  Severin.  |  M.  DC.  L.  XXXVIII  |  Avec  Privilege  dv  Roy.  | 

12mo,  pages  as  is  No.  1.  After  privilege  "  Acheve  d'impriiner  pour  la 
seconde  fois,  le  10.  Mars  1688.  De  ITmprlmerie  de  Laurent  Rondet."  Same 
map. 

•  In  this  I  received  valaable  aid  from  Dr.  Q«ot«a  H.  Mooro,  Hon.  John  R.  Eart- 
lett,  and  Mr.  Sabln's  Dictionar;. 


'J 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


Itaijan. 


383 


4.  Descriziono  1 1  della  |  Lvigiana  ;  |  Paese  nuovamente  scoperto  nel-  | 
1'  America  Settentrionale,  |  sotto  gl'auspicij  |  del  Christianissinio  |  Lvigi 
XIV.  I  Con  la  Carta  Geograflca  del  niede  |  simo,  Costiimi,  e  manicre  di 
t  viuere  di  que'  Saluaggi.  |  Del  P.  Lvigi  Hennepin  |  Francescano  Recol- 
letto,  e  Miasionario  |  ApDstolico  iu  questa  Scoperfa.  |  Tradotta  del 
Francese,  c  Dedicata  [  al  Re  'crendiss.  P.  D.  Ludovico  |  do'  Conti  Qverra  | 
Abbate  Cnsinense  de  S.  Prcculo  |  di  Bologna.  |  In  Bologna,  per  Giacomo 
Monti,  1G86.  |  Con  Licenza  le'  Superiori. 

12°,  pp.  12,  396.    Map. 

Page  2  contains  Vidit  rnd  Imprimatur.  Then  follows  a  Dedication 
by  the  translator  Casimiro  Freschot  diitcd  Jan.  21,1680.  Bologna,  10  pp. 

DCTCU. 

5.  Engraved  title.  Outdekking  van  1  Louisania  |  Door  deu  Vader  | 
L.  Hennepin.  |  Benevens  de  Beschryving  van  Noord-America  |  door  den 
Heer  Denys.  |  t' Amsterdam  by  Jan  ten  Hooru,  1088. 

Printed  title.  Beschryving  |  van  |  Louisania,  |  Niewelijks  ontdekt  ten 
Zuid-Wosten  |  van  |  Nieuw-Vrankryk,  |  Door  order  van  den  Koning.  1 
Met  de  Kaart  dcs  Landts,  en  een  nauwkeurige  verhande-  |  liug  van  de 
Zeden  en  raanieren  van  leeven  der  Wilden.  I  Door  den  |  Vader  Lodewyk 
Hennepin,  |  Recolletsche  Missionaris  in  die  Gewesteu,  en  |  Apostolische 
Notaris.  |  Mitsgaders  de  |  Geographische  en  Historische  Beschrijving  der 
Kuston  I  van  |  Noord  America,  |  Met  deNatuurlijkellistoiredes  Landts.  1 
Door  den  Heer  Denys,  |  Gouverneur  Lieutenant  Generaal  voor  Zijn 
Allerchriste- 1  lijkste  Majesteit,  en  Eigenaar  van  alle  de  Landen  en  Ei-  | 
land™  gelegen  van  Cap  f^e  Campseaux  tot  aan  Cap  des  Roziers.  | 
Ver(;eirt  met  Kopere  Figuren.  1 1' Amsterdam,  |  By  Jan  ten  Hoorn,  Boehver- 
kooper  over 't  Oude  |  Heeren  Logement,  in  de  Histori-Schryver.     a,  1688 

4°.    Engraved  title,  pp.  (4),  158,  (5),  map,  6  plates,  pp.  (4),  20C  (4). 

German. 

6.  Beschreibung  |  der  Landschaffl  |  Lovisiana,  |  welche  'auf  Befehl  des 
K6uigs  in  Frank-  |  reich'  neulich  gegen  SUdwesten  |  Neu-Frankreichs  | 
in  America  |  entdecket  worden.  |  NebensteinerLand-Carteu'  |  und  Bericht. 
von  deu  Sitten  und  |  Lebens-Art  der  Wilden  in  Sel-  |  biger  Laudschafft.  1 
In  Frauzosischer  Spraclie  heraus  |  gegeben  |  durch  |  P.  Ludwig  Henne- 
pin'Mission.  Recoil.  I  und  Notarium  Apostolicum.  |  NunaberinsTeutache 
Qbersetzet  |  (ornament).    NSrnberg'  In  Verlag  AndreiE  Otto,  1689.  | 


mmm 


38+ 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


ij 


I 


12",  435  pp,  map.  Hennepin  ends  on  p.  852,  then  new  title ;  IJeschrei- 
bung  I  einur  sonderbarcn  Reisc  |  etliclier  |  bisher  noch  unbekannter  | 
Lfinder  und  VOlckur  |  iniMitter-nacbligen  America,  |  wclclie  1073  |  durch 
P.  Marquette,  S.  J.  und  llerrn  Jolliet  |  verriclitet  worden.  |  Aua  deia 
Fmnzosischen  ins  Teutsche  iibcrsetzet.     Nllrnbflrg,  1680. 

7.  Same.    Nuinbeig:  Andreas  Otto,  1692, 18°,  pp.  427,  map. 

Enomsh. 

8.  A  I  Description  |  of  |  Louisiana.  |  By  Fatlier  Louis  Hennepin  |  Re. 
collect  Missionary.  |  Translated  from  the  edition  of  1683,  and  compared 
with  the  Nouvelle  D^couverfe,  the  La  Salle  documents,  and  other  con- 
temporaneous papers.  |  By  John  Qilmnry  Shea.  |  New  York.  |  John  G. 
Shea.  I  1880. 

8",  pp.  408,  map,  facsimile  ot  title  of  edition  of  1683,  Tiew  of  Niagara 
from  the  Nouvelle  D^couverte,  1697. 

n.     THE  "NOUVELLE  DftCOUVERTE." 
FiiKNcn. 

1.  (Engraved  title)  Nouvelle  Decouverte  |  d'untres  grand  |  Pays  |  Hitue 
dansi'Amcrique  |  ParR.  P.  Lovisdc  Hennepin.  |  a  Utroc  |  chezGuiliaurae 
Broedelet. 

(Printed  title)  Nouvelle  |  Decouverte  j  d'un  tres  grand  [  Pays  |  Situo 
dans  I'Amerique,  |  entre  |  Le  Nouveau  Mcxique,  |  et  |  La  iler  Qlaciale,  | 
Avec  les  Cartes,  &  les  Figures  ncccssaires,  &  de  plus  |  I'Histoire  Naturelle 
&  Morale,  &  les  avantages,  |  qu'on  en  pent  tirer  par  I't'tablisscment  des 
Colonies.  |  Le  tout  dedie  |  a  |  Sa  Majeste  Britannique.  |  Guillaume  IH.  I 
Par  le  |  R.  P.  Louis  Hennepin,  |  Missionairc  Recollect  &  Notaire  Aposto- 
lique.  I  A  Utrecht,  |  —  |  Chez  Guillaume  Broedelet,  |  Marchaud  Libraire. 
MDCXCVIL 

12°,  pp.  (70)  1-812,  10  pp.  marked  313,»  313-506.  3  maps,  plate  of 
Niagara  Falls,  p.  44  and  of  Bison. 

This  work  begins  with  Epistre  Dedicatoire  23  pp.,  Avis  an  Lecteur,  26 
pp.,  giving  details  as  to  liis  trials  and  difficulties.  Table  do  Chapitres,  19 
pp.  The  text  begins  with  sonie  general  remarks,  and  biographical  details, 
and  then  follows  the  Description  de  la  Louisiane,  expanding  it,  to  p.  200 
when  it  copies  from  Le  Clercq'a  Etablissment  de  la  Foi,  p.  153.  From  p.  249 
to  312  is  an  account  of  a  pretended  voyage  down  the  Misbissippi.  The 
star  pages  and  most  of  the  remainder  are  from  the  Description  de  la 


THE  "NOUVELLE  DfiCOUVERTE." 


3«5 


Lonisiane  enlarged.  From  813  to  end  is  in  different  type  from  preceding 
portion,  the  chapter  heads  have  nrabic  figures,  wliilu  in  the  earlier  p-irt 
they  have  Roman  numerals,  the  head  lines  differ,  being  nouvell  d£codv. 
before  318  and  Nouvkl.  Decouv.,  after  313.  The  spacing  is  also  diflcrent, 
all  tending  to  show  that  it  was  set  in  another  oflice  and  by  other  hands. 
The  introduction  of  star  pages  shows  that  the  succeeding  portion  was 
printed  first.  The  type  on  last  page  is  smallerthau  the  bodyof  ihework. 
The  work  has  been  rewritten  by  some  literary  man,  not  versed  in  Canadian 
affairs  f)r  Catholic  terms.  The  Moeurs  des  >?iuivagcs  is  omitted.  Whether 
all  from  849  to  the  last  318  *  was  inserted  after  the  work  was  printed  In  Us 
origincl  form  is  a  question  on  which  Hennepin's  credit  depends 

The  m«p  continues  the  Mississippi  to  the  gulf,  calls  the  Missouri,  R. 
Otenia,  puts  the  Chiquacha  on  the  R.  Tamnroa  below  it,  the  Akansa  on  a 
R-  Ouma,  and  to  two  rivers  below  on  the  west  absurdly  gives  the  names 
Hiens  and  Sablonniere  taken  from  La  Salle's  last  voyage  It  omits  the 
tree  with  the  French  arms. 

"  Nouvelle  |  Decouvcrte  |  d'un  tres  grand  |  Pays  |  Sitae  dans  1' Amerique  | 
enire  |  Le  Nouveau  Mexiqne,  |  et  la  Mer  Glaciale,  |  Avec  IcpCnrtes,  ct  les 
Figures  necessaires,  et  de  jlus  |  I'Histoiie  Naturche  et  Morale,  et  lesavan- 
tagcs  I  qu'on  en  peut  tirer  par  I'etablissement  des  Colonies  |L';  toutdedie  | 
a  sa  Majeste  Brltanniqiie,  |  Guillaume  III  |  par  le  R.  P.  liouis  ITennepin  | 
Missiouairc  Recollect  &  Notairc  Aposlolique.  j  A.  Amsterdam,  Chez 
Abraham  van  Snmeren.    MDCXCVIII. 

12°,  pi).  (70)  506  Ei.graved  title,  10  star  pages  313  as  before,  2  maps 
2  plates.  This  edition  corresponds  page  for  page  with  the  edition  of  1697 
including  the  star  pages  to  p.  600,  but  is  uniformly  printed  as  regards  head- 
ings. After  that  a  little  is  gained  on  each  page  to  bring  it  all  in  on  p. 
506  in  the  same  type. 

8  Voyage  |  on  Nouvelle  Decouverte  |  d'un  tres  grand  pays,  (  dans  | 
I'Amerique,  |  entre  le  Nouvenu  |  Mexlque  |  et  la  Mer  Glaciale,  |  Par  le  R. 
P.  Louis  "^..lnepin,  |  Avec  toutes  les  partlcularitez  de  ce  Pais,  &  de  celui 
connu  sous  le  nom  de  La  Louisiana;  |  les  avantages  qu'  on  eu  peut  tirer 
par  I  Tetablissement  des  Colonies  |  enrichie  de  Cartes  Qeographiques.  | 
Augmeute  de  quelques  figtires  en  taille  douce.  |  Avec  un  (  voyage  |  Qui 
contient  une  Relation  exacte  de  rOrigine,  Moeurs,  |  Coutumes,  Religion, 
Querres  &  Voyages  des  Caraibes,  |  Sauvages  des  Isles  Antilles  do  I'Ame- 
rique, I  Faite  par  le  Sieur  de  la  Borde,  |  Tiree  du  Cabinet  de  Monsr. 
Blondel.  |  A.  Amsterdam,  Chez  Adriaan  Braakmau.     MDCCIV, 

89 


'. 


[1' 

1 

(11 

1  ■ 

1 

w 


i1 


386 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


13",  pp.  (84)  004,  (82).  498  printed  2(»8.  2  mnpa,  engraved  title,  6  plates 
Niagnru,  BIsod,  tlie  Building  of  the  Gritlln,  Indians  alarmed  nt  a  Mon- 
strance, Ihu  BulFulo  country,  aiid  Ilcunepin's  cunipanious  taking  goods 
from  llie  cnehe. 

Hennepin's  voyage  ends  on  p.  510. 

4  Voyage  Curieu.x  |  Du  U.  P.  LouIb  Hennepin,  |  Missionnaire  Recollect 
«&  Notaire  Apostoli(iuc,  |  Qui  contient  uno  |  Nouvcllo  Decouverte  | 
I  D'un  Trfes-Qrand  Pays  |  Situt'  dans  1'  Amerlque,  |  Entre  le  Nouveau 
Me.xique  &  In  iMer  Glacials,  |  Avec  |  Toute»  les  parlicularitez  do  co  Pays, 
&  les  avantnges  qu'  on  |  en  peut  tirer  par  retablissement  des  Colonies, 
cnriclii  |  de  Cartes  &  augment^  do  (iucl(|ucs  figures  |  en  taille  douce  ne- 
ccBBaires.  |  Outre  celu  on  a  aussi  ajoute  ici  un  |  Voyage  {  Qui  contient  une 
Relation  exiicte  do  1'  origiue,  Mceurs,  Coiltumes,  Religion,  Guerres  & 
Voyages  |  Des  Caraibes,  |  Sauvages  |  des  Isles  Antilles  del'  Amerique,  | 
Faite  |iar  le  8ieur  de  la  Borde,  |  Employe  a  la  Conversion  des  Caraibes,  | 
Ot  tiree  du  Cabinet  de  Mr.  Ploiulel.  A  lia  Ilayc,  |  Chez  Jeau  Kitto, 
Marchand  Libraire,  dans  |  le  Hpuy-Siniet.  |  1704. 

12',  Engraved  title,  jjp  (82)  004  (32)  2  maps,  0  plates,  same  misprint  of 
203  for  493. 


5.  Same 


A  Leide,  |  Chez  Pierre  Van  der  Aa,  1704. 


0.  Voyages  |  Curieux  et  Nouveau.x  |  do  Messieurs  |  Hennepin  &  De  la 
Borde,  |  On  1'  on  volt  |  une  Description  tres  Particuliere,  d'un  Grand  Pays 
dans  1' Amerique,  entre  le  |  Nouveau  Mcxique,  »&  la  Mer  Glaciale,  avec 
uue  Relation  Cuiicuse  des  |  Caraibes  Sauvages  des  Isles  Antilles  de  1* 
Amerique,  |  Icurs  Moeurs.  Cofltumes,  Religion  »&c.  |  Le  tout  accompagnfi 
des  Cartes  &  figures  necessaires.  |  A  Amsterdam,  Aux  depens  de  la  Com- 
pagnie,  MDCXI. 

Same  as  preceding,  but  with  title  printed  oblong  and  folded  in.  Same 
misprint  of  293  for  493. 

7.  Voyage  (  on  Nouvelle  Decouverte  d'un  trSs  (  grand  Pals,  dans  1' 
Am6rlque,  |  entre  le  Nouveau  Mexique  |  et  la  |  Mer  Glaciale.  | ... 

.  .  .  Augmento  de  quelques  figures  en  taille  douce  |  aveo  un  voyage 
I  qui  contient  uue  relation  exacti;  de  1'  Origine,  Moeurs,  Contflmes,  Reli- 
gion, Guerres  et  Voyages  des  Caraibes,  |  Sauvages  des  Isles  Antilles  de  1' 
Amerique.  Faite  par  le  Sieur  de  la  Borde.  Amsterdam.  Jacques  Des- 
bordes,  1712. 


THE  "NOUVELLE  DECOUVERTE." 


387 


12°,  Engraved  title.  Title,  dedication  (11)  avis  au  lecteur  (18)  Table  (0) 
604  pp     Table  dc  nintlerea  (HO).    Map,  0  plates. 

8.  Decouverte  |  d'un  Pays  |  i)lu9  j^rand  que  |  rEuropc,  |  sllue'  dans  |  L' 
Ameri(iiie  |  cntre  Ic  |  Nouveau  Mexique  &  la  Mor  Olarlnlc.  |  printed  In 
Reciiiil  de  Voingca  an  Nord,  Tome Neuvit'me.  A  Amsterdam  Chez  .lean 
Frederic  Bernard,  MDCCXXXVII. 

12,  pp  (2)  404  (10).     Map, 

Ddtcu, 

9.  Nieuwe  Outdekkinge  |  Van  euu  groot  Land,  gelegeii  in  |  America 
I  tussclien  nleuw  Mexico  |  en  de  Ys-Zee,  |  Hehelzeude  de  gelegenliieid  der 
Eelve  nleiiwe  ontdekte  Landen  :  de  Rlvieren  en  |  gruote  Meeruu  iu't 
zelve.  Eu  voor  al  van  de  groote  Rivier  Meschasipi  gcnaamd.  |  Do 
Eolonleu  die  men  l)y  do  zelve  tot  voor  deel  van  de/.en  8laal,  zo  ten 
opzicli  I  te  van  den  Koopliandel,  als  tot  verzekeringe  der  Spaanschc 
GoudMijnen,  zou  konneu  oprccbten.  Dc  nitneemcnde  vriiclitt)aar- 
held  vQu't  Land ;  over-  |  vlood  der  VisHcben  in  den  Kivieren.  De  ge- 
daanten,  inborst,  geloovo  en  oetfe-  |  nulgen  der  Wildeii  aldaar  wooneude 
Dc  vrcemde  Dierou  in  baare  Rosscben  en  |  veldcn.  Mel  een  Korte  aan- 
merkinge  oevr  de  20  gcnaamde  Straat  Aiiiam  ;  en  |  'I  iniddel  oni  door  een 
korleweg,  zonder  de  Linio  yEquinoctiaal  te  pasaeeren,  |  ua  China  en 
Japan  le  komen  met  veele  curieuse  dlngeu  meer.  Alles  met  goede  | 
Kaarten  tot  deze  nanwijzinge  nodig,  en  met  Kopere  Plaaten  vercierd' 
met  goi'd-vlndinge  van  den  |  Eoning  van  Engeland.  |  Wilhelmus 
deen  IIL  |  In't  licht  gegeeven  :  |  En  aan  de  Zelve  zijne  Mnjcstcit  opge- 
drangen  door  |  Lodcwyk  Hennepin,  |  Missionaris  Recollect  en  Notaris 
Apostoliek.  |  Tot  Amsterdam,  |  By  Abraham  van  Somcren.     1699.  | 

4°  pp  (26),  220.  (14).     2  maps,  2  plates. 

10.  Nieuwe  Ontdekking  |  van  een  Groot  Laud,  gelegeu  In  |  America,  | 
Tusscheu  Nieuw  |  Mexico  en  de  Ys-Zeo.  |  Behelzendc  de  gelegenbeid 
der  zelve  nieuw  ontdekte  Landen,  |  de  Rlvieren  en  groote  Meeren,  en 
voor  al  de  groote  Rlvieren  Meschasipi  ge-  |  naamd :  |  de  Colonlen  die  men 
by  de  zelvo  tot  voordeel  van  dezen  Staat,  |  zo  ten  opzichte  van  den 
Eoophandel,  als  tot  verznkeringe  der  Spaan-  |  sche  Goud-Mijnen,  zon 
konnen  oprechten  ;  . . . .  Benevens  een  Aanhangsel,  behelzende  een 
Reize  door  een  |  gedeclle  van  de  SpaanscbeWest-Indlen.eneen  Verhaal  | 
van  d'Expldltle  der  Franschen  op  Cartagena.  |  Door  L.  de  C.  |  Tot 
Amsterdam,  |  By  Andrles  van  Damme,  Boekverkooper  .  .  .  1702.  | 


I 


t;l 


i 


388 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


4°  engraved  title,  pp.  (24)  220,  (14)  2  mnps,  2  plates.    2n(l  part,  pp.  47, 
map,  plate. 

11.  At'iiiiRTkcljkc  Voyagle  |  Oeilaan  na't  |  Oedeelle  van  Noorder 
America,  |  IJehelzcndo  een  iileinve  ontdckkliigo  vau  ecu  seer  |  Groot 
Laud,  geli'geii  tiisschen  |  Nii'iiw  Mexico  en  de  YsZce.  |  Vervatteiido  de 
golegciitliL'id  der  /.clve  nicuw  ontdcklu  Li'.n  |  dei. ;  do  Revleren  en  groote 
Meeren  in't  zelve.  |  En  voor  al  van  de  groote  Ituvier  Mescliaslpi  geuaauid- 
Die  Kolonicu  die  men  by  de  zolve  tot  voordi'cl  van  dozen  Staat,  zo  ten 
opziclite  vim  dei.  |  Koopliandel,  alH  tot  verzekeringo  der  Spaaudche 
Ooud  Mijncn  |  zoii  konncn  oprcchtcn.  Do  iiilnoniende  vruchlbaarheld 
van't  I  Land  ;  overvloed  der  VisHclien  in  die  Hivicren.  De  godaantcn,  | 
inborst,  j;oloove  en  oefreningon  dor  Wildon  alduar  woononde.  |  De 
vreeinde  Dicren  in  Haare  Hoosclien  en  Voldon.  Met  eon  |  korte  aanmer- 
klni^o  over  de  ziigt-naanule  Slraat  Auiain;  en't  |  middel  on»  door  een 
korte  woj:,  zonder  dor  Linie  .iliquinoctiaal  |  te  passoerou,  na  China  en 
Japan  to  konien  met  v(clc  andore  by-  |  sondurlieden  meer.  Door  Lode- 
wyk  llonnopin,  |  Missionaris  Recollect  en  Notaris  Apostollek.  |  Desen 
laastoa  Dndi  is  nict  allocn  veri;ierd,  mot  uoodigo  Kaarlon  |  niaar  00k  met 
verachede  Kopere  Printverbooldingen,  |  noyt  te  vooren  soogesien.  |  Te 
Leyden,  |  Hy  Piotor  van  der  Aa,  1704.  | 

4',  i)p.  (22),  210,  (13),  3  maps,  0  plates:  Niagara,  Bulfalo,  Building  of 
Orittln,  Indians  alarmed  at  Monstrance,  Buffalo  coimtry,  At  the  Cache. 

12.  Aannierkelyke  voyagie  |  gcdaan  na't  |  gcdeelde  van  |  Noorder 
America,  |  behelzoude  con  niouwe  onldekkinge  van  een  seer  |  groot 
Laud.gclcgcn  tuschen  |  Nieuw  Mexico  en  de  Ys-Zoe,  |  &c.  Te  Rotterdam, 
By  Barent  Bos,  1704.  | 

4%  pp.  22,  (219,)  13.    2  maps,  C  plates. 


'     I 


13.  Do  Gedeukwaardige  |  Wcst-Indise  Voyagien,  |  Gedaan  door  | 
Cliristoffel  Columbus,  |  Amorlcus  Vesputius,  |  en  |  Lodewijck  Hennepin.  | 
Behelzendo  een  naaukeurige  en  wnaraclitige  Boschrijving  |  der  eerste  en 
laatste  |  Americaansc  ontdekkingen,  |  Door  de  voornoemde  Reizigers 
gedaen,  met  alle  de  |  byzondere  voorvallen,  het  overgekomen.  |  Mits- 
gaders  een  |  Oetrouw  en  aenniaorkelyk  Verhaal,  «&c.  Te  Leyden  |  By 
Pieter  van  der  Aa.  1704.  | 

4°,  pp.  22  (219,)  13.    2  maps,  6  plates. 


14.    Nieuwo  Ontdckkiuge,  vau  groote  Laude  in  Amcrika,  tusschen 


THE  "NOUVEAU  VOYAGE." 


389 


Nlouw-Mexlco   en   de  YB-Zoe Boncvens  cen  AanhangBel,   be- 

holzcndo  coii  Uuizo  door  een  Kedoelte  van  ile  8paan»cli  West  Indleu  door 
L,  de  C.    Amsterdam  1723. 

(iSHMAN. 

15.  None  I  Kntdockung  |  vleler  Holir  grosscii  Landsehatrteu  I  in  |  America 
zwlsclien  Neu-Mexlco  iiiid  dnm  Eyss-Mcer  gelegcn  ....  Ins  Tcutsche 
Ilbersctzt  durcli  |  M.  J.  (}.  Liiiigen.  |  Mil  Land-Cliarten  and  Kiipffer 
Piguren.     Uronien;  Philip  Ooltfr.  Saurnians  1690. 

12°  pp.  (60),  382.     Engraved  frontispiece,  map  and  two  plates. 

16.  Neue  |  Uolse  |  Besclireibung  |  naclio  |  America,  |  und  derer  |  bisher 
nocli  unbeltundten  Liin-  |  dur  und  V('ilci<er,  |  vornomlicli  |  von  der  Land- 
sclialFt  I  Lovi.siana,  |  und  dun  Bitten  und  Lebcns  Art  der  Wii-  |  den  in 
selblger  Landbclnitft.  |  Aus  dem  Frnnz^sisclien  ttber-  |  setzt  und  rait 
Kupfern  geziert.  |  NUrnberg.  1780.  |  Im  Veriag  Clirist.  Fried  Feisze. 

18°,  pp.  426.     2  maps. 

ABRIDGEMENTS. 
Spanish. 

1.  Reiacion  |  de  un  pais  |  que  nuevamente  se  lia  desou-  |  bierto  |  en  la  | 
America  |  Septentrionai  |  de  mas  ostendido  que  es  |  l.i  Europa.  |  Y  que 
saca  a  iuz  en  Cnstcllnno,  debajo  de  ia  pro-  |  toccion  de  el  Exnio  8r. 
Duqne  de  el  InCantado,  |  Pastrana,  &c.,  el  Sargente  General  de  Batalln  1 
Don  Sebastian  Fernandez  de  Me-  |  drano.  Director  de  la  Academia  Rea| 
y  I  Miiitar  de  el  Exercito  de  los  Paiscs  Bajos.  |  En  Brusselas,  |  En  casa  de 
Lamberto  Marcliant,  |  MDO.XCIX.  | 

12%  pp.  (8)  86,  map,  2  plates. 

English. 

2.  A  Discovery  of  a  Lfirge,  Rich  and  Plentiful  |  Country  |  in  the  |  North 
America ;  |  Extending  above  4000  Leagues.  |  Wherein,  |  By  a  very  short 
Passage,  |  lately  found  |  out,  thro'  the  Mcr-Barmejo  into  the  South-  |  Sea  ; 
by  which  a  considerable  Trade  might  |  be  carry'd  on,  as  well  in  the 
Northern  as  |  tlie  Southern  Parts  of  America.  |  London:  Printed  for  W. 
Boreham,  at  the  Angel  in  Pater- Noster  Row.  |  [1720.]    8°,  pp.  (2)  22. 

III.    THE  "  NOUVEAU  VOYAGE." 
FuENcn. 
1.  Nouveau  |  Voyage  |  d'un  Pais  plus  grand  que  |  I'Europe.  |  Avec  lea 
reflections  des  entreprises  du  Sieur  |  de  la  Salle  sur  les  mines  de  Ste 


I 


390 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


Barlie,  &c.  )  Enrichi  de  la  Carte,  de  figures  expressives,  des  raoeurs,  |  & 
manierea  de  vivre  dea  Sauvages  du  Nord,  |  &  du  Sud,  de  la  prise  de 
Quebec,  Ville  Capital-  |  le  de  la  Noiivelle  Prance,  par  les  Anglois,  & 
des  I  avantages  qu'oii  pent  retirer  du  cheniin  racourci  i  de  la  Ciiiue  &  da 
Japon.par  lemolen  de  tant  |  de  Vastcs  Contrees  &  de  Nouvclles  Colonies.  | 
Avoc  approbation  &  dediC;  a  sa  Majcste  |  Guillaunie  III.  |  Roy  de  la 
Grande  |  Bretagne  |  par  le|  R.  P.  Louis  Hennepin,  |  Missionnaire  Re- 
collect &  Notaire  Aposlolique.  |'A  Utrecht  |  Chez  Antoine  Schouten,  | 
Marcliand  Librairc,  1098'  | 
8\  pp.  (70)  (2)  389,  4  plates,  1  map. 

2-3.  Voyage  |  en  un  Pays  plus  gi'aud  |  que  |  I'Europe,  |  Entre  la  Mer 
Qlaciale  &  le  Nouvcau  |  Mexique.  |  ^ar  le  |  P.  Hennepin,  |  printed  in 
Recueil  |  de  Voyages  |  au  Nord,  |  contenant  |  Divers  Menioires  tres 
utiles  au  |  Conunerce  &  A  la  |  Navigation.  |  Tome  V.  |  Troisieme 
Edition  |  augmenti'e  d'une  Relation.  |  A  Amsierdam,  |  Chez  Jean  Frederic 
Bernard.  1  MDCCXXXIV.  | 

12%  pp.  197-370. 

Also  cue  called  second  edition,  1720. 

The  first  edition  of  the  Voyages  au  Nord  in  four  volumes  1715-9, 
did  not  include  Hennepin  at  all. 

The  second  edition  gave  the  Nouveau  Voyage ;  tlie  third  edition,  10  vols., 
the  Nouveau  Voyage  in  Vol.  V,  and  the  Nouvelle  Decouverte  in  Vol.  IX. 

Dutch. 

4  (Engraved  title)  Reyse  |  door  |  Nieuwe  o.  "elite  |  Landen  |  (Printed 
title)  Aenniorckelycke  i  Ilistorische  |  Reijs  Beschryvinge  |  Door  verschcyde 
Landen  veel  grooter  als  die  van  gelieel  |  Evropa  |  oiilanghs  ontdeckt.  |  Be- 
hclsenila  een  nauivkenrige  Bj.schi'ijviuge  van  gelegenlheyd,  natuur,  en  1 
vrugbtbaerheyd,  van't  Zuyder,  en  Noorder  gedeelte  van  America  ;  niits- 
gaders  |  de  gedaente,  nerd,  manieren,  kledingeu,  en't  geloove  der  talrijke 
Wilde  Nation,  de  Hooftstad  van  Cana  |  da,  doorde  Euglisclien.  De  geivig- 
tige  aeumerkingen  op  do  ondernemiiige  van  de  Heer  de  la  Salic,  op  de 
Qoud-Mijnen  van  8t.  Barbara,  met  veel  meerandere  |  waeragtige  en  .elsd- 
same  geschiedenissen.  En  in't  besoniler  de  aenwijsingcn  om  |  'li^creen 
korten  wegh  sonder  de  Linie  Equino'.'tiael  te  passeeren,  n.i  Chiui ,  ok  |  ,  'ip?  i 
te  komen  ;  en  de  groote  voordeelen  die  men  hier  door,  als  mede  d-vi  dv  ; 
nieuwe  Volckplantigen  in  dese  vrughtbaare  Landen  sou  konnon  trecken. 
Allea  I  met  eeu  netto  Kaert  tot  dese  |  aenwijsinge  uodig,  en  kopere  Platea 


^ 


"NEW  DISCOVERY,  ETC." 


391 


verciert.  /  Met  Approbatie  van  |  Willielmus  den  III.  |  Komnugh  |  van  | 
Qroot-Bri(anie.  |  En  aau  deselve  sijne  Majestcyt  opgedragen  |  door  | 
Lodewyck  Hennepin,  |  Missionaris  Recollect,  en  Notaris  Apostolick.  | 
Tot  Utrecht,  |  By  Anthony  Schouten.  |  1698. 

4°,  pp.  (28)  143,  lust  page  misprinted  242,  (18). 

Map  "Carte  d'un  Nouvenu  Monde  cntre  lo  Nouveau  Mexique  et  la  Mer 
•Glaciale.    Gasp.  Bouttats  fecit." 

German. 

5  Neue  (  Ueise   Beschreibung  )  durcb  viele  Liinder  weit  grosser  als 

gantz  Europa   |    durch  L.    Hennepin.    |    Bremen  :    Phil.  Gottfr. 

Saurmans,  1698.  | 

8\  pp.  (64)  288,  4  plates. 

6  Reisen  |  und  seltsehnie  |  Begebenheiten  ;  Oder  sonderbare  Entaeckung 
vieler  sehr  grossen  |  Liinder  |  in  'Vnierika.  Welche  biszhero  noch  unbe- 
kannt  |  gewesen,  und  an  Grosse  gantz  Euro-  |  pa  llbertrefien,  t&c,  Bre- 
men :  Nathaniel  Saurmann,  1742.  | 

18°,  pp.  (24)  383,  2  maps,  2  plates. 


THE  "  NOUVELLE  DECOUVERTE  "  AND  "NOUVEAU  VOYAGE" 

TOGETHER. 


1. 


English. 
A  I  New  Discovery  |  of  a  |  Vast  Country  in  America,  |  extending  above 


Four  Thousand  Miles,  |  between  |  New  France  and  New  Mexico ;  |  with 
a  I  Description  of  the  Great  I-akes,  Cata-  i  racts,  Rivers,  Plants,  and 
Animals.  |  Also,  the  Manners,! Customs  and  Languages  of  the  se- 1  veral 
native  Indians;  and  the  advantage  of  Com-  |  merce  with  those  differen, 
Nations.  \  With  a  |  Continuation,  |  Giving  an  Account  of  the  |  Attempts 
of  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  upon  the  |  Mines  of  St.  Barbe,  &c.  The  Taking 
of  Quebec  by  the  English ;  With  the  Advantages  |  of  a  Shorter  Cut  to 
China  and  Japan.  |  Both  parts  illustrated  with  Maps,  and  Figures,  |  and 
Dedicated  to  His  Majesty  K.  William.  |  By  L.  Hennepin,  uow  Resident 
in  Holland.  |  To  which  are  added,  Several  New  Discoveries  in  North-  I 
America  not  publish'd  in  the  French  Edition.  |  London,  Printed  for 
M.  Bentley,  J.  Tonson,  |  H.  Bonwick,  |  T.  Goodwin,  and  8.  Manship 
1698.  I 


392 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


ii< 


f 


'^ 


8%  Engraved  title,  pp.  (20)  209 ;  pp.  (82),  178  (2),  301-355.  2  maps, 
7  plates. 

This  is  evidently  ilic'  first  Erplisli  rditioii.  The  299  pages  of  Part  I 
coutain  a  translation  of  the  Kouvtlle,  Decoiivcric,  und  supplementary 
matter  enihracicg  Marquitte's  voyage  was  printed  in  the  same  time  and 
foiled  301-355,  3C0  being  blank.  Then  appnrently,  it  was  resolved  to 
translate  also  the  IsovreaiiVoyage,  and  this  was  printed  in  smaller  type  as 
Part  II,  making  178  pages  with  a  catch  word  on  last  page,  and  in  binding 
up  the  work,  tlie  supplemental  portion  of  Part  I  was  placed  after  this 
without  regard  to  folios. 

2.  Same  Title,  bvi  H.  Bon-  in  inij)rint  on  tliu  firel  line. 

8°,  Engraved  title,  title,  pp.  (20)  243  (32),  228.     2  maps,  7  plates. 

It  is  not  a  reprint  of  No.  1. 

There  are  slight  alterations  on  Part  I,  hut  Part  II  is  entirely  rewritten 
and  improved.  This  part  in  the  first  edition  begins  "  Men  ought  to  be 
satisfy'd":  but  in  this  one  "Reason  oiiglit  to  rule"  :  and  in  this  edition 
two  chapters  arc  numbered  XXII. 

3.  Same  title  as^Ko.  1.  otherwise  apparently  as  No.  2  but  without  the 
error  i;i  chapter  XXII. 

4.  A  I  New  Discovery  |  of  a  j  Vast  Country  in  America;  |  Extending 
over  Four  Thousand  Miles,  |  between  |  New  France  &  New  Mexico ;  |  with 
a  I  Description  of  the  Great  Lakes,  Cataracts,  |  Riveis,  Plants,  and  Ani* 
mals.  I  Also,  the  Manners,  Customs,  and  Languages  of  the  several  I 
Native  Indians;  (  And  the  Advantage  of  Commerce  with  |  those  difl'erent 
Nations.  |  With  a  |  Continuation  |  Giving  an  Account  of  the  |  Attempts 
of  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle  upon  the  |  Mines  of  St.  Barbe,  &c.  Tht  Taking 
ofQuebi'C  I  by  the  English  ;  With  tlie  Advantages  of  a  |  shorter  Cut  to 
China  and  Japan.  Both  Illustrated  with  Maps,  and  Figures  ;  and  Dedi- 
cated I  to  his  Majesty  King  William.  |  By  L.  Hennepin  now  Resident 
in  Holland.  |  To  which  are  added,  Several  New  Discoveries  in  North- 1 
America,  not  Publish'd  In  the  French  Edition.  |  London,  Printed  for 
Henry  Bonwicke,  at  the  Rod  Lion  |  in  St.  Paul's  Church  Yard,  1099.  | 

8°,  Engraved  title,  pp.  (20)  240,  pp.  (24)  216.    2  maps,  6  plates. 
Reprint  of  No  2. 


I 


jUl-jMtt 


IHilui 


INDEX. 


Abenakis,  375. 

Accault,  Michael,  360-1,  368,  see  Ako,  Dacan. 

Account  of"  a  Voyage  down  the  Mississippi,  from   the  "  Nou- 

velle  Decouverte,"  343. 
Account  of  Hennepin  and  the  Sioux,  360. 
AfFaire  Roland,  64. 
Agniers  (Mohawks),  23, 
Agrenipoualacs,  374. 
Aiounouea,  370. 
Akansa,  186,  347-8,  356-7. 

Ako,  Michael,  190,  225,  241-2,  250-1,  353,  360,  368. 
Allart,  Rev.  Germain,  62. 
Allouez,  Father  Claude,  164. 
Andris  (Andros),  Major,  23. 
Anian,  Aniam,  strait  of,  237. 

Aquipaguetin,  chief,  211,  215-6,  2ig,  225-8,  248. 
Arpentigny,  63. 
Artois,  12. 
Assenipoits,    373;   Assenipovalacs,    236;    Assinipoulak,    361, 

374- 
Ath,  9. 

Atreouati,  (Grande  Gueule),  308,  310. 

Auguelle,  Anthony,  nicknamed  Le  Pic.^rd  du  Guay,  188,  19 1, 

225.  235.  36''  "'  Picard. 


B 


Bailloquet,  Father,  377. 


-,-^ 


' 


394-  INDEX. 

Bay  of  the  Puants  (Green   Bay),    104,    119,   201,   258     269. 

361,  367. 
Belmont,  Abbe,  32. 
Benton  Harbor,  131. 
Bernou,  Abbe,  37,  372. 
Bison,  143. 

Black  River,  197,  365. 
Blaithwayt,  27. 
Bois  d'  Ardenne,  269. 
Bourg  Royal,  21. 
Brassart,  Anthony,  77. 
Brisset,  F.  Luke,  271. 
Broedelet,  William,  29. 
Bruyas,  F.  James,  24,  25,  285. 
Buffalo  River,  iq8,  251,  365. 
Buisset,  F.   Luke,  59,  88,  63,  264,  271. 
Buttes,  The,  97. 


HI 


1 


Calais,  1 1. 

Calumet,  11 2. 

Cap  de  St.  Antoine,  357. 

Ce,  81. p  Enrag 

Cap  Tourmente,  21. 

Casquin,  163. 

Castorie,  365. 

Cayuga  Creek,  82. 

Chaa  Indians,  189. 

Chabadeba,  Chabaoudeba,  197,  365 

Charlevoix,  Father,  34. 

Charon,  Sieur,  88. 


•  •<r\ 


INDEX.  395 

CI  A'-pentier,  Thomas,  69. 
Chassagouasse,  Chief,  166. 
Chikacha,  346,  357,  see  163,  186. 
Chinnien,   226. 
Chongaskabes,  373. 
Chongaskethon  (Sisitonwan),  203. 
Cicaca,  163  ;   Ciccaca,  186. 

D 

Dacan,  M.,  372,  see  Accault. 

Dakota  language,  45,  45*, 

Dalera,  M.,  367. 

Daminoia,  163. 

d'  Auteuil,  M.,  366. 

d'  Autray,  Sieur,  135. 

de  Barrois,  Mr.,  18.  ' 

de  Belizani,  Mr.,  56. 

de  Cauroy,  235. 

de  Courcelles,  Gov.,  52-3. 

de  Coxis,  Mr.,  28. 

de  Groseilliers,  Sieur,  362. 

de  Lassay,  Marquis,  374. 

de  la  Ribourde,  Father  Gabriel,  10,  43,   55,  63,  89,  iii,  117, 

122,  133^  HO,  155,  177,  187,  189,  267,  269. 
Description  of  Louisiana,  41  ;   Bibliography  of,   382. 
de  Tonty,  Chevalier,  61,  87,  103,  133,  135,  i8b,  267, 
Detroit,  91. 

Dollier  de  Casson,  Rev.,  52,  60. 
Du  Guay,  the  Picard,  224,  353,  356,  set  Auguelle. 
du  L'hut  (Lude,  Luth),  253,  255,  261,  365.     Memoir  of,  373. 
Dunkirlc,  11. 


f      ^ 


'■  <>*0-'«^ 


39^ 


Enjalran,  Father,  377. 
Espiritu  Santo  Bay,  352. 


• 


INDEX. 
E 


FafFart,  361,  366. 

Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  197,  200,  220.  241-4,  358-9- 

Fillatre,  Father  Luke,  265. 

Fort  Chambly,  53. 

Fort  Champlain,  270. 

Fort  Crevecoeur,  175-6,  184,  194,  266,  349-50,  3S9i  3^'- 

Fort  de  Conty,  (Niagara),  74,  106,  262,  324. 

Fort  Frontenac,  43,  53-4,  »o^i  26/,,  266,  363,  366. 

Fort  of  the  Miamis,  131. 

Fort  Sorel,  53. 

Frontenac,  Count  de,  54-5,  57i  73^  264,  270,  335. 

G 

Galinee,  Abhe,  52,  60. 
Gannieke/,  or  Agniez  (Mohawks),  23. 
Ganniessinga   Indians,  80. 
Garakonthie,  Chief,  307. 
Gamier,  Father  Julian,  76-7. 
Gastacha  (Mississippi),  361. 
Goiogoins  (Cayugas),  307. 
Grande  Gueule,  308. 
Great  Rock,  69,  72,  89. 
Green  Bay,  258,  see  Puants. 

Griffin,  first  vessel  on  Lake  Erie,  commenced,  74  ;  question  as 
to  pl'ace  where  built,  82  ;   named  85,  89  ;  enters  Lake  Eric, 


iiiiiii 


m 


INDEX. 


397 


91  ;  at  Mackinac,  97,  104  ;  at  Green  Bay,  104  :  sent  back  to 
Niagara,  105;   lost,  107. 

H 

Halle,  Hennepin  at,  11. 

Hanetons,  373. 

Harpentinie,  see  Arpent-.gny. 

Hempin,  Father,  371. 

Hennepin,  Father  Loui?,  Notice  of,  9  ;  birth,  9 ;  becomes  a 
Recollect  friar,  travels,  10;  armv  chaplain,  13,  124;  at 
Battle  of  Senert',  13  :  sent  to  Canada,  14  ;  trouble  on  voyage 
with  La  SaHe,  17  ;  fust  mission  labors,  20-1  ;  visits  Mo- 
hawks, 22  ;  builds  Mission  house  at  Fort  Frontenac,  59  ; 
selected  to  go  with  La  Salle,  62  ;  dines- with  Frontenac,  63  ; 
visits  Iroquois  cantons,  64  ;  leaves  Fort  Frontenac,  64 ; 
enters  Niagara,  ib;  says  mass  near  Falls,  ib  ;  visits  Senecas, 
76  ;  at  Fort  Frontenac,  88  ;  returns  to  Niagara,  89  ;  on 
Lake  Michigan,  11 1  ;  in  atFair  with  the  Foxes,  122;  erects 
bark  cabin  as  a  chapel  011  Benton  Harbor,  133;  at  Fort 
Crevecaeur,  177;  sent  bv  La  Salle  to  upper  Mississippi, 
188;  reluctance,  189;  Sets  out,  192;  captured  by  Sioux, 
205  ;  had  somt  idea  of  descending  the  Mississippi,  212  ;  a 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  220;  begins  Dakota  Dictionary,  229  ; 
found  by  du  Lhut,  253;  returns,  256;  at  Fort  Frontenac, 
265  ;  returns  to  France,  25  ;  at  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  ib  ; 
at  Chateau  Cambresis,  26  ,•  at  Renti,  ib  ;  at  Gosselies,  27  ; 
at  Antwerp,  28  ;  Amsterdam,  29  ;  Utrecht,  29  ;  his  Nou- 
velle  Decouverte  published,  29  ;  forbidden  to  return  to 
Canada,  30  ;  at  Rome,  ib  ;  examination  of  his  veracity,  31  ; 
testimonies  in  his  favor,  32,  43*  ;  impeached,  33,  35;  voyage 
down  the  Mississippi  from   the  Nouvelle  Decouverte,  343  ; 


n 


398 


IK 


account  of  voyage  up  from  Margry,  360  ;   from  Tonty,  372; 
Du  L'hut's  memoir,    374  ;  account  of  Niagara    Falls,  377  ; 
letter  of,  to  Renaudot,  372  ;  bibliography  of,  382. 
Herinx,  Rt.  Rev.  William,  bishop  of  Ipres,  opposes  Hennepin, 

1 1. 

Hillaret,  Moyse,  191. 

Hohio  (Ohio),  51. 

Honnehioats  (Oneidas),  23. 

Honnontaguz  (Onondagas),  21. 

Humber,  64. 

Hunaut,  103. 

Huron  Isles,  107. 

Hurons,  100,  260,  276,  315,  358. 

Hontouagaha,  80. 
Houetbatons,  374. 


I 


1\ 


t 


Ikoueta,  369. 

Indians,  manners  of  the,  273  ;  fertility  of  country,  ib  ;  origin 
of  277  ;  physical  condition,  280  -,  dress,  287  ;  marriages, 
290;  feasts,  297;  games,  ,300;  rudeness,  304;  courtesy, 
306;  cruelty,  311;  policy,  316;  hunting,  318;  fishing, 
323  -,  utensils,  325  ;  burial,  327  ;  superstitions,  328  ;  ridi- 
culous beliefs,  obstacles  toconversion  of,  inditference,  335,  337, 

Illinois,  361,  37^^''"  Islinois. 
Illinois  river,  141,  361. 
Iroquois,  57,  "64,  '86,  262,  266,  268,  315. 
Isati  (Issati),  197. 

Islinois  (Illinois),  60,   130,   152-3.  '55,    «68,   186,205,   242, 
259,  266,  343,  352,  359.  3^9,  373- 


. 


aC- 


'^■. 


INDRX. 
Issati,  201,  203,  236,  256,  344,  373,  374. 
Isle  of  St.  Laurent,  21. 
Izatys,  374. 


399 


Joliet,  Louis,  60,  358. 


J 


K 


Kakaling,  364. 

Kankakee  river,  136,  141. 

Keroas,  339. 

Kickapoos,  269  ;   Kikapous,  258,   269-70,  371. 

Koroa,  339,  349,  350,  354-5- 


La  Chine,  52,  310. 

Lake  Buade  or  Issati  (Mi He  Lake),  201-2,  373-4. 

Lake  Conde  or  Tracy  (Superior),  69,  70,  98,  199,  202. 

Lake  Conty,  Comty,  or  Erie  (Erie),  52,  69,  71,  83-4,  89-91 

261-2,  363,  377. 
Lake    Dauphin,    or   Islinois    (Michigan),   69;  described,    70; 

La  Salle  on,  104,  1 18. 
Lake  Frontenac  (Ontario),  52,  57,  262,  264,  276,  324. 
Lake  Huron,  69. 
Lake  Michigan,  69. 
Lake  ot  the  Issati,  368. 
Lake  ot"  Tears  (Pepin),  198,  217. 
Lake  Ontario  or  Frontenac,  57,  70,  276. 

Lake  Orleans,  or  of  the  Hurons  (Huron),  69,  70,  91,  260-1.     , 
Lake  St.  Clare,  92,  261. 


i^ 


400 


INDEX. 


'\  , 


Lake  Superiur,  called  Conde,  6q,  ^65,  366,  374. 

Lake  Tracy,  69, 

La  Motte,  Sieur,  61,  64,  74. 

La  Rousseliere,  103. 

La  Salle,  Rene  Cavelier,  Sieur  de,  projects  discoveries  by  the 
other  route,  51  ;  acquires  establishment  at  Lachine,  52; 
encouraged  by  de  Cuurcellcs,  52  ;  sets  out  with  Dolier  and 
Galince,  falls  sick,  ib  ;  solicits  command  ot  Kort  Frontenac, 

55  ;  governor  ot  Fort  Frontenac,  15,  43,  56  ;   rebuilds  fort, 

56  ;  returns  to  France,  60  -,  obtains  commission  and  exclu- 
sive privilege,  61  ;  sails  with  Hennepin,  15;  trouble  with, 
I  7  ;  at  Fort  Frontenac,  63;  wrecked  on  his  way  to  Niagara, 
81  i  returns  to  Frontenac,  83  ;  at  Niagara,,  81^  ;  sails  in 
Griffin,  90  i  at  Mackinac,  97  ;  at  Green  Bay,  104  ;  sends 
back  Griffin,  105  ;  proceeds  in  canoes,  108  ;  meets  Pottawa- 
tamies,  115;  trouble  with  Foxes,  119;  builds  tort  of  the 
Miamis,  131  ;  ascends  river  ot  the  Miamis,  135  ;  lost,  137  ; 
reaches  Illinois  village,  152;  at  Illinois  camp,  156;  .Vlonso 
prejudices  Illinois  against,  164;  deserted  by  men,  172;  begins 
Fort  Crevecceur,  175  ;  begins  a  bark,  178  ;  sets  out  for  Fort 
Frontenac,  188  ;  sends  Hennepin  to  Mississippi,  188  ;  reaches 
mouth  of  Mississippi,  338  ;  extract  from  letter  of,  361. 

Laval,  Francis  de,  bishop   of   Petr«*a,  and  of  Quebec,    15,  62,  . 

265. 
Le  Barbier,   103. 

Le  Fevre,  Father  Hyacinth,  26,  62,  124. 
Le  Fevre,  Father  Louis,  27. 
Le  Maitre,  Rev.   James,  310. 
Le  Roux,  Rev.  Valentine,  62,  268. 
Lc  Talon,  261. 
Lewiston,  69. 
l,ong  Point,  91.  .... 


t 


I 


•w 


INDF.X, 


401 


see   Pdinaroi. 


Louisiana,  44,  149.  273,  295,  322,  325. 
Luke,  pilot,  96,  107^  I  J  J. 
Luke,  Father,  264,  see  Buisset. 

M 

Maestriclit,  1 1. 
Malquenech,  Baroii  de,  28. 
Mamenisi,  235,  25O. 
Man/a  Ouakange,  211. 
Manic,  river,  141. 
Margry^,  Pierre,  35. 
Maroa,  358,  3'>2  ;    Vlaro'ia,  205 
Marquette,  Father  James,  258. 
Mascouteiis,  140,  16+,  258,  364,369. 
Maskouteiis  Naiiouesioux,  371. 
.Matsiganiea,  358. 
Memore,  Father  Zeiiobius,   26,  89,    155,  157,  177,   187,  259, 

265,  267,  271. 
Meschasipi,  5^  60,  3+3-5,  350-ii  .iS?-^,  ^''  Colbert. 
Meschet/.,  Odeba,  197,  364. 
Messenecq/.  (Outagamis),  243. 
Messorite,  344,  357. 
Meuse,  river,  141,  153,  193- 

Miamis,  140,  143,  186,  205-6,  216,  258,  266,  270,  358,  363. 
Miamis,  river  of  the,  129,  131. 
Michelimakinac,  376. 
Mille  Lake,  199. 
Miiiime,  103. 

Misconsin,  187  i   Misconsing,  364. 
Missiliinakinac,  97,  104,  133,  259,  260, 
Missisipi,  360  ;     Mississipy,  361. 


-y-an*** 


402 

Missorites,  344. 
Mitchinchi,  225. 
Mohawks,  24,  324. 
Mohegans,  85,  276. 
Monso,  Chief,  164,  1 70- 1. 
Montreal,  264. 


INDKX. 


Nachie  (Natchez),  349. 

Nadouecioux,  374-5,  Nadouesioux,    364  ;   Nadonessiou,  203  ; 

Nadouessaiis,  203,  373  ;   Nadouessious,  197,  236,  258,  360-1  ; 

Nadonessiou/.,  257  ;    Nadoucssiouz,  256  ;   Nadousiouz,  315; 

Nadoiissions,  201  ;   Nadoiissioiis,  254;   Nadousiouz,  315. 
Namur,  153,  193. 
Narrhetoba,  Chief,  166,  169-70. 
Nemissakouat  river,  199  j   Nemitsakouat,  366. 
New  England,  276. 
New  Jork,  Joriz,  276,  324. 
New  Mexico,  351. 
New  Netherland,  23,  276. 
New  Sweden,  276. 
New  York,  23,  276,  324. 
Nez  Persez,  276. 
Niagara  river,  64,  89,  324,  363. 
Niagara  Falls,   6<;  described,  71  ;   description   from   Nouvelle 

Decouverte,  377. 
Nicanape,  Chief,  166,  169   70. 
Nipissingue,  375. 
Nipissiriniens,  375. 
Nouvel,  Father,  377. 


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Hg-^ 


INDEX. 


4-03 


Nouvelle,  Decouvertc,  The,  how  made  up,  46  ;  matter  from 
Le  Cleicq,  47*  1  errors  in,  th;u  Hennepin  could  not  make, 
15,  16,  48',  200,  201,  218,  265,  ;^45,  346  i  prepared  'jy  an 
editor  ignorant  ot  C'anaJa,  49*  ;  extract  from,  343  biblio- 
graphy ot,  382. 

Nouveau  Voyage,  The,  51*,  bibliography  of",  389. 

o 

Oiatinon  I  Weas),  140. 

Omaouha   or    Omoahoha   or    Oumanouha,    chief,    165,    187, 

means  Wolf,  18''. 
Oncidas,  21. 
Onisconsin  river,  197, 
Oniioiitaguez,  269. 
Onontio,  Iroquois  name  for    French  governors  of  Canada,  77, 

127,  268. 

Onondagas,  21,  269,  317. 

Ononhouaroia,  317. 

Ontaonai/.  ( Ottawasj,  276. 
Ontario,  54. 

Onttaouactz  (C)ttawas),  52. 

Openagaux,  375. 

Osages,  186,  343. 

Otchbmii,  252. 

Otontenta,  Outontanta,  196  ;   ( )toutantas,  (Ottoes),  371. 

Otoutantas  Paot4,  364. 

Ottawas,  52,  97,  99,  260  2,  276,  361,  366. 

Qua,  373  i   Ouadebathon  or  River  people  (VVarpetonwan),  203. 

Ouadebache,  345. 

Ouakanche,  209. 

Ouamats,  339. 

Ouasicoudc  (Pierced  Pine),  chief,  234,  238,  240,  255, 


x^-;k,^^^' 


404 


INDKX. 


Ouiscoiisin    river,   237,   361  j  Ouisconsing,   366;  Ouscousin, 

256-7  ;   Oviscousin,  241,  248  (Wisconsin), 
Ounonhayentv,  302. 
Ounontaguez,  317. 
Outagamis  (Foxes), '376;   Outouagainis,    119,    126,  243,  257, 

370,  376- 
Outaouacs,    366  ;   Outaouas,    361  ;   Outtaouais,  358  ;   Outta- 
ouactz,  99,  261,  2  ;  Outraouctz,  260. 


Palmas,  352. 

Payez,  F.  Rennere  de,  28. 

Peoria,  175. 

Peoria  Lake,  155. 

Picarci,  The,   240,  241,  243,  245-50,    252,  253,    261,  see  Au- 

guelle. 
Pierced  Pine  (Ouasiconde),  257. 
Pierson,  Father,  260,  377. 
Pimiteoui,  Lake,  155,  262-3. 
Poerius,  V.  Rev.  F.,  28. 
Pointe  de  Levi,  21. 
Poupart,  103. 
Poutouatamis    (Pottawatamies),  104 ;   chief  devoted   to    Fron- 

tenac,  105;   island  of  the,  108  ;  second  village,    1 10. 
Puants  (Winnibagoes),  104,  258,  269,  361,  367.. 


Quappas,  186. 
Quebec,  363. 
Quinipissa,  350,  353. 

Rafcix,  Father,  74,  261, 


Q 


R 


sasfii 


iti^iyimiiiiiitiHTi^ir'i  JtMiiiilfcBawiiMHia 


-      r         * 


ttmmm 


INDEX. 

Randin,  Sieur,  366. 

Recollects,  14,  185. 

Red  Sea  (Gulf  of  California),  212. 

Relation  des  Decouvertcs,  36-7,  42*. 

Richelieu  river,  53. 

Rio  Bravo,  352. 

Rio  Kscondido,  351. 

Rio  He  Panuco,  352. 

River  Seignelay,  136,  192. 

River  of  the  Issati  (Rum),  201. 

Rochelle,  14,  55, 

Roy,  9. 


405 


Sagard,  Brother,  232. 

Saint  Anthony  of  Padua,  96. 

Saint  Croix,  deserter,  103. 

Sainte  Croix  river,  199. 

Saint  Francis  river,  201,  241,  256. 

Saint  Hour  (Ours),  63. 

Saint  Joseph's  river,  131. 

Saint  Lawrence  river,  264,  276. 

Saint  Louis  river,  199. 

Sainte  Anne,  21. 

Sakinam  (Saginaw),  94. 

Sambre  river,  141. 

Sault,  St.  Marie,  98  ;  Indians  of,  loi. 

Sauteurs,  loi,  366. 

Seignelay  (Illinois)  river,  136,  141,  197,  257. 

Seine  river,  362. 

Senecas,  64,  73,  262. 


^■*-- 


M.M^ 


M 


4.06 


INDEX. 


Senert,  Hennepin  at  battle  ot,  13,  Du  Lhiit  at,  374. 

Sikacha  (Chickasaw),  346,  see  Cicaca. 

Soto,  Ferdinand,  163.  ' 


Taensa  Indians,  348,  355. 

Talon,  Sieur,  53. 

Tamaroa  Indians,  193,  345,  362,  see  Maroa. 

Tangibao  Indians,  351,  353. 

Tchatchakigoua  Indians,  360,  369. 

Teakiki  river,  361. 

Teganeout,  263. 

Tegarondies,  74,  • 

l^eiaiagon,  64. 

Theakiki  river  (Kankakee),  136,  361,  362. 

Thinthonha    (Titonwan)   Indians,    Tintonha,    Nation    of    the 

Prairies,  90,  203,  357,  373  ;  Tintonbas,  373. 
Three  Rivers,  21. 
Thirty  Mile  Point,  81. 
Tomb  River,  199,  202. 

Tonty,  Chevalier  de,  61,  87,  103,  133,  135,  188,  267. 
Tracy,  Marquis  de,  53. 
Tsopnontouan  (Senecas),  64,  73,  84. 
Tula,  163. 


u 


Utica,  153. 


Virginia,  276. 

Voile,  Father  Alexander,  26. 


-  ..... .  ..  .  *r:»-  ...----.■        '  ■  ■  '•    ■  '*-^jf 

T"! iiii ^BMiiiiliiiiiliMMMM 


INDEX. 

w 


407 


Watteau,  F.  Melithon,  at  Niagara,  88,  90. 

Wazikute  (Ouasiconde),  234. 

Wild  rice,  201. 

William  III,   Hennepin    presented  to,  29  ;   the    Nouvelle    De- 

couverte  dedicated  to,  ib  ;    De  Michel's  remarks,  33. 
Wisconsin    river,    197,    237,    241,    249,   see   Ouisconsin,    Mis. 

cousin. 
Wolf  Indians  (Mohegans),  85,  276. 


ERROR. 

Page  384  line  13,  for  408  read  407-16. 


